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5/22/13 11:22 P

So glad that I'm able to spend more time on writing today, to make up the whole day of work with no writing time yesterday!!

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5/22/13 1:25 P

It's not part of my normal writing project, but at least something I wrote is getting a little attention -- my blog from a couple of days ago was selected as a Featured Member Blog here on Spark and, so far, has 70+ comments on it.

I wrote it for myself more than anything. My son graduates from high school tomorrow, and I am still having a hard time believing that it's here.

The situation has me thinking maybe I should consider writing a memoir. There are parents out there who hear those same "Nevers" every day. Maybe my son's story could help them.

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5/20/13 11:55 A

I am failing miserably on both the dieting and writing fronts.

I'm giving myself persmission to slack off a bit. My oldest son is graduating from high school this week, and I've got a party to put together, family coming into town, and it's just too crazy. Not too long after that, we're leaving for London, and I still have things to deal with for that - ordering power adaptors, arraging taxi service, getting a pet sitter. So much to do. I'm not even going to worry about writing until we get back.

I put in an entry to the Colorado Gold contest about two weeks ago, and that was a job and a half. I think it's the best possible entry I could give them. I hit every point they say is important. If this one doesn't get me into the finals, I don't know what will. It was SO much work, re-writing my first 20 pages over and over again, writing the perfect 4 page summary, getting crits on all of it and then re-re-writing with the input.

But it will all pay off if it gets me to the finals. That gets my entry in front of an agent or editor in the genre AND gets me a FTF pitch with that agent/editor. I still need to re-write my query letter, but I'm stuck. Every stab I've taken has been shot down by "experts" and I don't know where to begin any more.

Ugh!

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5/13/13 11:41 A

Yes, did some this morning! And a little more now!

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5/9/13 4:03 P

Hello on Thursday....

I have been away a very long time..Illness kept me away for almost two years, just did not have time,,However, perhaps you all would like to know my Novel, The Violet Shawl is now on Amazon Kindle as of March 5. Just type that in or my full name Doris Dix Caruso.

I'm glad to be back with you all...So many new members... Regards, Doris

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5/6/13 2:21 P

YAY!

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5/4/13 9:07 P

LOL I was thinking 'no' until I realized that I turned in my creative writing portfolio today and actually spent most of the day rewriting 4 different pieces.

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5/1/13 6:36 P

I got a grade in my creative writing class! My instructor said I should submit the story to a writing journal.... that felt pretty good.

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4/30/13 2:34 P

Yes, wrote for about 15 minutes

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4/25/13 8:30 A

My short story about Moms is being critiqued by my peers and so far the 1 person who read it really liked it. I am surprised because it wasn't what I wanted to do.

I have algebra to do but once summer is in full swing I am thinking of starting a writers group at my local bookstore.

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4/24/13 7:21 P

Wrote five pages today! Should hit 85,000 words this week on my book. Getting VERY close to a first draft. Yay!

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4/24/13 10:50 A

Well.... last night I wrote a letter to the owner of my favorite bookstore.

I also am thinking of starting a writers group there.

I wrote a blog post yesterday.

Today I wrote a journal for my creative writing class.

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4/23/13 6:28 P

I wrote a short story last night and then another one this morning. I was late with the 2nd one and not 100% happy with the first. That is what I get for waiting til the last minute. I wonder why I do that but .... then I remember that quote from that movie that really didn't have any other good quotes ..... I think it was ... He's not into you or something like that....

Anyway, the quote was about how women like to do things at the last minute for the excitement value of it. I think part of me likes to do it at the last minute because then I sort of have no choice - just gotta do it.

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4/23/13 12:53 P

Good goals!!

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4/22/13 10:16 A

How did your writing assigments go? I do not have internet at home so I will not be able to do a lot of writing on the weekends. I have decided to stick to my goal of two pages every week day. So I am planning on writing later!

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4/21/13 3:55 P

I have 2 writing assignments due for my creative writing class tomorrow. One is a big project and the other is just a story. I tend to work on things at the last minute but I always get an A so I guess it will be okay.

I wrote some notes about my short story project in church today. So, I guess I did work on it. LOL

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4/19/13 9:46 P

Yes I got two pages done! This is a good goal for me and it will be hard to find time but this is what I need!

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4/19/13 4:38 P

Yes God does have a plan!

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4/13/13 9:53 P

How is everyone doing with their writing?

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3/27/13 4:21 P

Yes, wrote for about 30 minutes!

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3/26/13 10:57 P

Yesterday I made some good progress after the kids went to bed, emailed it to my coauthor early this morning but haven't heard anything back. Hopefully it's so thought provoking she really has to digest it.

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3/21/13 2:13 P

Good point!

Yesterday I read through my diary from when I was 14. I sent an email to my mom for some clarification and I did some outlining. I added to that this morning. I hope I get more writing in later but I'm pretty tired. I woke up at 4 and never got back to sleep.

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3/18/13 5:38 P

I am writing Chapter 5 of my book! I am writing 700-800 words a day. Hope to have draft of book ready by the May 30.

Vtricia - I believe your college degree is what helped you analysis and think logically about your choices.. Good luck with your writing and other goals!

Rudysgirl- Congratulations on the time spent writing yesterday. Keep up the good work.

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3/17/13 9:29 A

I had a pretty successful writing day yesterday. I was playing DD for my boyfriend and a buddy of his so I snuck off to a bookstore while they were at a party and was able to write for about an hour and a half. I finished the chapter I was working on and started the next but what was really successful was that I made myself a new outline so I could really visualize the next steps I want to make in my book. It went well. It felt good. :)

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3/15/13 4:26 P

I stole away some time to write this morning. It was a chapter intro on whether going to college really helped me as a person. What I found was that I didn't like doing things that were hard, and gravitated toward things that were easy. So... apart from getting me out of a bad relationship and eventually meeting my husband, I don't know if I really did get much out of college. I've never held a job where my degree actually mattered. I don't regret going to college, but I am not sure I would have regretted not going to college.

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3/12/13 11:59 A

WOO HOO! You are on a roll!

I am writing daily and trying to get parts of my house more organized (and office)...seems to help me with writing, too!

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3/12/13 10:09 A

Sticking with my diet, sticking with my writing. Finished draft of Chapter 4, nine more to go!

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3/4/13 4:48 P

Absolutely!

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3/4/13 8:34 A

VTricia, I can't tell whether you're being funny mentioning being Mormon, or if you're relating your religion to each stage in your life.

Jules, good luck!

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3/2/13 8:43 P

I started a 365 Day Creative Writing Prompt Journal project! (because I was sidetracked from my main project)
I'm going to start posting my prompts up on my SP blog.
Stop by and let me know what you think!

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2/23/13 2:44 P

The nonfiction project is mental health and lifestyle change. But I did decide to write my autobiographical novel as a series of novellas. Everyone wants series these days. So my childhood about being biracial and Mormon, my early adolescence about being female and Mormon, my late adolescence about being depressed and Mormon, my 20s about being psychotic and Mormon (which was my 2004 nano), my 30s about addiction recovery and being Mormon (my 2010 nano which I can't find but that's probably okay), and finally (for now) learning disabilities and being Mormon.

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2/21/13 8:54 A

I think research is work.

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2/20/13 4:41 P

I haven't worked on my book in a couple of days. I have been working on some research for another project for my kids.

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2/20/13 1:48 P

Yes!

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2/20/13 8:24 A

Vtricia, that makes for two more books! Is the nonfiction about mental health or addiction?

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2/19/13 3:24 P

Waded back into the briar patch that is my Nanowrimo. I'm committed to work on it this month. Next month I will go back to my nonfiction project, hopefully with an eye toward submitting proposals if I can get cleared with my co author.

Today's project was realizing that mental health and addiction recovery should be different buckets, though both will eventually get woven into the overall chronological framework.

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2/19/13 11:08 A

So sit down now and write to make up for it! :)

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2/15/13 11:20 A

No, I didn't and I feel horrible about it.

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2/14/13 5:31 P

Don't feel bad Butterfly, I haven't worked on my project in two days because of trying to get ready to travel from Maryland to Texas. Maybe, I will have time on the airplane to get back on schedule!

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2/14/13 11:07 A

I feel like I am being lazy. I didn't work on my project at all yesterday. I have some today though. Had to take my son to Columbus yesterday for his checkup long drive 3 1/2 hours both ways.

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2/12/13 8:51 A

You guys are lighting up the keyboard!

Bourbon chicken sounds delish!

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2/10/13 8:28 P

Butterfly42D-- You are moving along and that's great!

Edited by: STARRPOWER1 at: 2/10/2013 (20:28)

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2/10/13 6:49 P

Great job Starrpower!
I worked on 2 chapters today revised a third chapter.

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2/9/13 10:13 P

Writing chapter 1, "Be True to Yourself" , typed 504 words today! Whoopee! Dinner at Appleby's spinach dip and bourbon chicken.

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2/8/13 1:02 P

Go Starrpower GO!!!

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2/7/13 8:35 P

Just finished the Introduction to my 2 nd book (1200 words). Now to work on the 12 chapters. That's 500 words a day for the next 120 days!

Edited by: STARRPOWER1 at: 2/7/2013 (20:37)

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2/7/13 8:32 A

Kim, sounds like a great coming-of-age story.

Andy, thanks for the good wishes. The whole thing is so nerve-wracking.

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2/6/13 7:06 P

I write children's stories. Currently working on a mid grade reader book about the Transcontinental Railroad. The main character goes searching for his father and his own courage.

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2/6/13 5:08 P

Abby--I hope you get only good news on your story! Hope you tell us how it goes!

Also? Am down to the last two chapters of mine, yay! I write with a partner and we've been sort of 'meh' about the shebang, but lately we've gotten into the groove again. It feels good.

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2/6/13 8:36 A

Butterfly, have you told us what you write? I don't remember.

I haven't written anything since I sent my story off to my editor two weeks ago. I should really work on that.

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2/5/13 8:26 P

I have writing it seems all day. I haven't though I had to leave for a couple of hours to take my son to an appointment. But I did get a lot of writing done.

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2/4/13 9:08 A

V, that's the nature of NaNo, isn't it? :)

Kim, good luck with the outline. I've tried doing that a couple of times but never follow what I wrote.

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2/3/13 1:25 P

I wrote 2 scenes last night and outlined more of the chapter. I wasn't happy with what I had already outlined.

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2/2/13 1:14 A

I got out my 81 page Nano and broke it up into 5 sections, speed reading much of it as I went. Man, it's a big old mess.

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1/31/13 9:24 A

Andy and Kim, well done!

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1/30/13 3:50 P

I reached a personal goal today. I finished chapter 1 and started on chapter 2.

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1/30/13 3:16 P

Well, got through a chapter (#5) that was looking at me saying, "c'mon and get me!" and now the rest of the thing is begging to be written. So I think I'll be away for a while trying to get it done. I'll be back! Hope everyone's writing is going well!

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1/30/13 8:50 A

Ha! Thanks. :)

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1/29/13 12:50 P

Thanks Abby. And Congrats to you. Good luck not getting too nervous.

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1/29/13 12:49 P

I wrote so much last night I didn't even pay attention to the time. My husband got home last night earlier than usual before midnight (usually after 1:30 am, he gets off most nights at 1). He was surprised I was still "at it" as he calls it.

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1/29/13 8:46 A

That's great, Kim! Keep it going!

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1/28/13 2:51 P

I have been working on chapter outlines. I started putting the "story" together last night. I actually feel like the story is starting to take shape.

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1/28/13 9:12 A

Yay!!! Andy, that's fantastic!

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1/27/13 7:44 A

Was able to get one and a half pages done yesterday! So thrilled because I've been at a standstill these last two months.

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1/23/13 4:12 P

I did compose a post for my blog last night, and then I had more thoughts about it while I was falling asleep so I added those this morning.

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1/22/13 9:39 P

Praying for you all to get your writing done each day! Yes, we have struggles, but the triumps will follow! Seek out what you can learn from those struggles and what you can write about them! God has a plan!

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1/22/13 11:48 A

What a month.

I was just getting back into the swing of the new year when my grandfather fell ill. I spent my writing time each evening driving down to his home to sit by his side until he passed.

Then, I was asked to write his obituary and memorials for the local and Illinois papers and for his church and the services, and see to the graphic design for the memorial booklets. It was a task I was proud to undertake, but it did not help me make progress on my novel.

When that was finally behind me, I got the flu - worse than I have ever had before. I could barely sit at my computer for an hour at a time to do my job - the one that actually pays the bills - let alone write.

Oh, and my niece was born last week. I had promised to cook for them, and to help with housework. I wasn't able to do that, nor even to see the new baby until my flu was gone. Yesterday was the first day in over a week I woke up without a fever, so I made up a few freezer meals and took them over.

I know life is what happens when you're making other plans, but this is insane!

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1/22/13 9:28 A

Kim, I love that he's so eager to read it!

My kids want to read my romance novel, but at 11 and 9, I said NO. *laugh*

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1/21/13 1:36 P

I have been working on the first three chapters of a children's book. My son is wanting to read it to his class. I have tried explaining to him he can't read it until its finished to his class. But he can read it once in a while.

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1/21/13 9:13 A

Yes!

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