While I may not be the rather fractious father of the gods, I certainly acted like I was last night. I spent about three hours re-doing The Mars Betrayal in its entirety. After really getting down how my main character acts and his motivations and flaws, as well as the other characters and antagonists' motivation and flaws, I realized that the plot devices I was using were not springing from the world and characters, but really just from my own desires for coolness.
So now there's no bacteria missile. The ending is happier too. If any of my writing group reads this, please check out the synopsis I uploaded yesterday and let me know if I am completely missing the mark.
Today I have quite a lot of ChartedCourse work to do, but I will be able to get to writing by 4PM, if not a little earlier. I will do some final tweaks on the synopsis and send it on to the editorial team so I can have my self-esteem smashed again. Or not. We'll see.
This morning I did the Y hike again, from my house. Yeah, it's not getting any easier yet. Whew. This is the second time I did the hike, although on Monday I started at the trailhead.
My garden grows well, by the way. I think I have finally succeeded in keeping pests away from my cucumbers to the point that they will make it. My only remaining pumpkin plant is doing well also. I do have a completely unidentifiable patch of something growing between my squashes, so I guess I'd better do some reasearch to figure out what it is.
But now I must work. I'll report later.
Showing posts with label hike. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hike. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Monday night, all's well.. but...
Today was only semi-productive. I was tired from yet another completely unrestful weekend. Seriously, what am I thinking? Here's a rundown of my Saturday, so that you can admire my ambition.
Or just wonder what the heck is wrong with me. (for all three of you (okay, maybe four) who are reading this)
On Saturday, I woke up just before 7 AM. I then leapt onto my perfectly manly scooter (not all men need to have big Dodge trucks, although most of us crave one) and zipped up to the Y Mountain trailhead. I had invited the Elders Quorum along on my weekly hikes and had high hopes that a few faithful early risers would show up.
The Coles came. That was nice.
So we hiked and talked and stuff and they barely broke a sweat and I seriously don't think either of them even breathed hard. Meanwhile I had to stop regularly and try not to embarrass myself by sucking in breath too loudly.
Got back in time for a great breakfast (thanks Annemarie!) and some giggles with the kids and then I headed to the chapel to clean it. There was a good crew there so that I was able to really finally clean the bathrooms the way they needed to be done.
Got home and edged, weed-whacked and mowed. Then weeded, did a bit of second-stage veggie planting, weeded some more and then made a shopping list. I cook dinner on weekends and I needed some fresh veggies as sidedishes for what I was making. And I needed french bread and hadn't thought to soak some dough the night before.
So I went shopping, picked up groceries and some small trelllises (trelli? trellum? trella?) for our morning glories. Then I got back and stowed the groceries, reinforced the trellises... whatever.. and got them in the unbelievably rocky ground.
Washed up and then made dinner. Helped with kids getting clean and into bed, hand-watered a bit and then we labored through part of Lawrence of Arabia and then crashed.
That was Saturday. I'll stop there. Why did I write that here? I don't know. But I really enjoy my Saturdays, particularly since I can spend so much of my day outside and in dirt, working with my hands.
Anyway, I wrote an article for www.helium.com, a neat website that I've talked about a lot on this blog. I have nearly 900 articles there. Check out: www.helium.com/users/45690 to see them.
I also did some work for ChartedCourse, made a presentation and then fiddled around way too much.
My editor-folks got back to me, but not with comments yet. He said thanks for the installment and asked for a synopsis of the new version of The Mars Betrayal. I should have sent that today, but I will do it tomorrow. I will also get it to over 8000 words tomorrow.
So if you are reading this, and are in my writing group, please e-mail me later tomorrow asking if I hit my goal. Accountability rocks.
You can really tell I am a product of the eighties and nineties sometimes, can't you. Rad huh?
I will write a bestseller. I will be a bestselling author.
carpe somnium
Or just wonder what the heck is wrong with me. (for all three of you (okay, maybe four) who are reading this)
On Saturday, I woke up just before 7 AM. I then leapt onto my perfectly manly scooter (not all men need to have big Dodge trucks, although most of us crave one) and zipped up to the Y Mountain trailhead. I had invited the Elders Quorum along on my weekly hikes and had high hopes that a few faithful early risers would show up.
The Coles came. That was nice.
So we hiked and talked and stuff and they barely broke a sweat and I seriously don't think either of them even breathed hard. Meanwhile I had to stop regularly and try not to embarrass myself by sucking in breath too loudly.
Got back in time for a great breakfast (thanks Annemarie!) and some giggles with the kids and then I headed to the chapel to clean it. There was a good crew there so that I was able to really finally clean the bathrooms the way they needed to be done.
Got home and edged, weed-whacked and mowed. Then weeded, did a bit of second-stage veggie planting, weeded some more and then made a shopping list. I cook dinner on weekends and I needed some fresh veggies as sidedishes for what I was making. And I needed french bread and hadn't thought to soak some dough the night before.
So I went shopping, picked up groceries and some small trelllises (trelli? trellum? trella?) for our morning glories. Then I got back and stowed the groceries, reinforced the trellises... whatever.. and got them in the unbelievably rocky ground.
Washed up and then made dinner. Helped with kids getting clean and into bed, hand-watered a bit and then we labored through part of Lawrence of Arabia and then crashed.
That was Saturday. I'll stop there. Why did I write that here? I don't know. But I really enjoy my Saturdays, particularly since I can spend so much of my day outside and in dirt, working with my hands.
Anyway, I wrote an article for www.helium.com, a neat website that I've talked about a lot on this blog. I have nearly 900 articles there. Check out: www.helium.com/users/45690 to see them.
I also did some work for ChartedCourse, made a presentation and then fiddled around way too much.
My editor-folks got back to me, but not with comments yet. He said thanks for the installment and asked for a synopsis of the new version of The Mars Betrayal. I should have sent that today, but I will do it tomorrow. I will also get it to over 8000 words tomorrow.
So if you are reading this, and are in my writing group, please e-mail me later tomorrow asking if I hit my goal. Accountability rocks.
You can really tell I am a product of the eighties and nineties sometimes, can't you. Rad huh?
I will write a bestseller. I will be a bestselling author.
carpe somnium
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Happy Tuesday to you...
I am in the middle of ChartedCourse work, but I wanted to repent of last night's mistakes. I actually fell asleep in my easy chair pretty much right as the kids were going to bed, so I didn't do any more writing last night.
However, I hit the 6000 goal yesterday during that first session, so no worries!
I will be working on The Mars Betrayal today as well, from about 3:30 to about 5:30. I might not write later, as I am hoping to take a lengthy walk so I can sleep better tonight. I've been having trouble sleeping the last few nights.
It may be because of snoring or squirming baby, but it may also be because I need to be good and tired. I am trying to regularize my sleeping habits finally, since I am supposed to be a grown up now.
Discipline. As a young, naive (evian backwards) writer, I had not imagined that to be successful as a writer I would need to have discipline.
This morning I took my older boys up the Y hike. If you don't know what that is, too bad.
Only joking.
BYU has this massive white Y painted on one of the mountains surrounding Utah Valley. There is a well-kept, rather steep trail that leads to the Y, and the trailhead is about a 5 minute drive from the house. I had done the hike for the first time on Saturday, and had actually hiked from the house, so it was kind of long.
This morning I drove Thomas, Hintze and myself to the parking lot at the trailhead, then we headed up. It's good exercise and the boys really enjoyed it.
I have to get back to it now, so I'm off.
(Soul selling attempt #2):
Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson
Hehe.
carpe somnium
However, I hit the 6000 goal yesterday during that first session, so no worries!
I will be working on The Mars Betrayal today as well, from about 3:30 to about 5:30. I might not write later, as I am hoping to take a lengthy walk so I can sleep better tonight. I've been having trouble sleeping the last few nights.
It may be because of snoring or squirming baby, but it may also be because I need to be good and tired. I am trying to regularize my sleeping habits finally, since I am supposed to be a grown up now.
Discipline. As a young, naive (evian backwards) writer, I had not imagined that to be successful as a writer I would need to have discipline.
This morning I took my older boys up the Y hike. If you don't know what that is, too bad.
Only joking.
BYU has this massive white Y painted on one of the mountains surrounding Utah Valley. There is a well-kept, rather steep trail that leads to the Y, and the trailhead is about a 5 minute drive from the house. I had done the hike for the first time on Saturday, and had actually hiked from the house, so it was kind of long.
This morning I drove Thomas, Hintze and myself to the parking lot at the trailhead, then we headed up. It's good exercise and the boys really enjoyed it.
I have to get back to it now, so I'm off.
(Soul selling attempt #2):
Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson
Hehe.
carpe somnium
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