Beware of echoes and doppelgängers!

Maybe I am the only writer in the world who suffers from this bad habit. It makes me crazy. I do it in every blasted book, no matter how hard I try to be aware of it early in the process and avoid it.

I always create characters that are identical, both in their core characteristics and the purpose they serve in the book.

(I may have mentioned this earlier this month, but it is such a big pain in my writing butt, I must rant about it again.)

I spent all day yesterday and the wee hours of this morning extracting one of those characters from my book, and turning over many of his scenes to a different fellow who – I can now see with the blazing clarity of humiliating hindsight – should have been driving those scenes in the first place.

It was a bloodbath, I tell you.

How can you perform this radical surgery in your manuscript?

1. List all the characters.

2. Define – using only a few words – that character’s relationship to the main character.

Examples: comic foil, trusted friend, villain, complication, love interest.

3. If (like me) you have two or more characters that serve the same purpose, get out a magnifying glass and sharpen your scythe. Is it possible to have one of the characters take over scenes from the others?

Example: in the early draft of SPEAK, the character who is now called Heather was two separate girls. Each girl was a “sort of” friend of Melinda for a few months. Each friendship died. Their personalities were a bit different, but not in a strong enough way to affect Melinda’s interactions with them. By melding them together, the story was cleaner.

I am crossing my fingers that the work I am doing this weekend will have the same effect.

I did it again. I waited until less than two weeks before Christmas to even start thinking about what I need to do. For some reason, I was under the illusion that I'd get to it when things got closer to Christmas and consequently less busy. So yeah, it was an illusion--maybe a delusion, whatever it was, I'm foggy, exhausted and ready to sit on the couch with the kids and watch movies for a few days.

I've been a little overwhelmed with keeping up with my revision (which I'm still on schedule), taking care of the family, paying the bills, running the errands, taking care of the house (actually, I've pretty much given up on this one), and everything else. I'm getting very tired--and my family is getting lame presents as a result.

We started Christmas shopping a few days ago and sent out packages yesterday. Sorry, family that is getting packages from us, presents from us aren't that great this year. I have a lot of our presents this year, but not everything--I don't even know what I'm getting for my husband yet. I'm open for suggestions--actually, I'm pretty desperate for them so if you have any, please let me know.

Brain-fry is the best way to describe how I feel right now. I've been working hard on my revision and keeping up with all the details of the season, and the combination is making me cloudy and and feel like I'm in the early stages of Alzheimer's or something.

That's about where I'm at right now. It took me an hour to write this entry. My brain is a squeaky, rusty old door that refuses to open--or even move. Sheesh. I need a nap. I'm going to go lay on the couch and watch a show about psycho chihuahuas with my kids who just got home from school. I love Christmas time--even when it's too busy. I am happy the kids are off school and we can all relax together and have some fun. Have a nice evening, all!

# of queries read this week: 56
# of partials/manuscripts requested: 0

As I mentioned last week, I am currently closed to new queries until January 15th.

However, I am still continuing to review, albeit somewhat slowly with my sprained wrist and reduced typing speed, those that were already in the queue. I've appreciated people's support and will, no doubt, continue to be thankful for their patience.

I'm seeing many of my colleagues mention that today is their last day officially at work until the New Year. Our agency is closed from December 24th until January 4th to celebrate the holidays (and probably get in some reading). In January there will be the now-annual query stats of the year, among other things.

Happy holidays.... And in the spirit of the season.....

Sometimes people forget that I wrote PROM because it is not exactly a depressing book. In fact, it's pretty funny, if I do say so myself. (If I had dread, depression and death in all of my books, I would not be a healthy person!)

So it is with great joy that I announce that PROM has been nominated to the 2010 Popular Paperbacks List, in the "Change Your World or Live to Regret It" category!!

School Library Journal has posted their annual collection of Christmas Memories written by children's authors and illustrators. This year's essays were written by me, my buddy Deb Heiligman, Barbara McClintock, Lauren Myracle, and our National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Jon Scieszka. Enjoy!

Revision Tip #18

Are you stuck?

Have you tried all my plotting tips and dialog wisdom and adverb scorn and still you are stuck?

Try this.

1. Make yourself some comfort food.

2. Put on music that relaxes you.

3. Snuggle up in a warm, cozy place with a pen and a pad of paper.

4. Write a letter to your main character. Tell her everything that is worrying you about the story in general.

5. Pause to eat a bit. Make some tea or hot chocolate.

6. Pick up pen and paper again. Tell your character why you are specifically worried about her. Ask her what is going on in her life, in her relationships that you don't understand. Ask her advice about how to help her move forward.

7. Write down what she tells you.

8. If you can't hear her voice, then it is time to put that manuscript away for a while and work on a different story. But I am pretty sure you will hear the voice, so be chill and write.

1. Okay, so it's one week until Christmas (I know!) and get this: they're calling for snow here today. Yes: snow. Can I tell you the last time I remember it snowing before Christmas around here? That would be NEVER. (Although my memory is not reliable, just as a disclaimer. I can barely remember my name or where I left my keys most days.) Anyway, I refuse to believe this until I actually see flakes falling and sticking, mostly because we are having a huge holiday party this weekend and I have already bought all the food. What will I do with three lasagnas and a vat of spinach artichoke dip if the roads are bad and nobody shows? (Remember, this is North Carolina: if there is even an inch of snow on the roads, people stay home. Yes, I hear you laughing in New England.) Don't get me wrong. I would love a light dusting, to help get into the holiday spirit. But more than that, not so much.

2. And do you want to know WHY it's going to snow? Because about a week ago, we had a thunderstorm. And according to Southern legend, if it thunders in winter, you'll see snow within nine days. Or something like that. My parents are from New York and Baltimore, respectively: I wasn't exactly schooled in the Farmer's Almanac growing up. Still, I have found that a lot of these things turn out to be true. Like you see cows laying down before it rains. Weird, right?

3. Speaking of the holiday spirit, I can't believe that with only seven days until Christmas I have not yet indulged in one of my steadfast holiday traditions: watching Love, Actually. Usually by now I would have watched it at least three times, and have it in the DVD on standby so I can revisit my favorite scenes whenever the mood hits. What is wrong with me this year? Well, there's this move to my office. And the little issue of this novel I'm writing. Oh, and the fact that I have a two year old who is not really a fan of Hugh Grant yet. Can I tell you how many times I have watched the Gabba Gabba Christmas special? No, I can't, because I don't even know. But I will say that it is on right now, as I write this. Sigh.

4. I really do want to get to the movies over the holiday. It's hard to believe, but I used to go to the movies at least once a week, if not more than that. Seriously! I loved to skip out on a writing day and hit a midday matinee with a small buttered popcorn and a bottled water I snuck in inside my purse. Ah, memories. Can I tell you the last movie I saw in an actual movie theater? I think it was Sex and the City. Yes, that was like a year and a half ago. How did this happen? Well, again, there's that issue of the novel. It's a lot harder to play hooky when I'm paying someone else so I can work. But maybe I'll do it over the holiday, as a present to myself. We'll see.

5. Finally, I just have to share this. My husband just came inside, shivering. "It's REALLY cold out there!" he said, and I turned, ready to offer sympathy. Then I saw what he was wearing:


(Yes, I documented it just for this entry. But I cut off his head at his request.)

I mean, honestly. Shorts and a t-shirt AND shoes with no socks? Of course you're cold! Then again, this is the same person who runs the thermostat at a crazy high temperature so he can wear shorts in the house all year round. I grew up in a house where if you were cold, you put on another sweater. Touch the thermostat and there were repercussions, big time. Marriage is all about compromise, I guess. If not about wearing socks and a jacket when it's below freezing.

(Oh, and before you ask, yes, those are tattoos. He's got a bunch of them. And no, I don't have a single one. I always say he's got more than enough ink for both of us.)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Yesterday I met Anni, a librarian who interviewed me for the Gwinnett County Public Library blog! Sadly, before I met Anni I forgot to warn her about two things:
1) I hug like it's going out of style.
2) I am founder of The Awkward Club for Awkward People

Hopefully, Anni will not write up weird things about me as a result of that.

So anyhow, on my last video someone commented on my bookshelves. I kind of collect books. Even if I read a book and don't like it, I usually keep it. I like having this little paper map of all the things I've read. Anyhow, that means I have quite a few books, especially since I had a friend build me these massive bookshelves to fill...and I mean, I can't just let a bookshelf go unfilled, right? (Side note: This mentality plus turning on Amazon's One Click ordering has been the death of my bank account.)

Here are pictures of them-- tell me if we have books in common! :)

Case one, top to bottom: Antique childrens' readers that my grandparents and neighbors gave my parents for me to have when I was young; yearbooks; poetry; adult fiction; non-fiction; classics; childhood favorites I've kept (Indian In The Cupboard FTW); comics/graphic novels (Calvin and Hobbes also FTW). PAY NO ATTENTION TO THAT WILTING HOUSEPLANT ON THE LEFT! NO ATTENTION WHATSOEVER! *waters houseplant hopefully*


Case two, top to bottom: Big fat classics/collections/anthologies; Harry Potter (that's right, I have a Harry Potter SHELF ppl *HPlove*); YA paranormals (two shelves); graphic novels (BLANKETS, on the far right, is one of my favorite books ever).


Case three, top to bottom: Non-fiction; writing; YA paranormal; YA historical and Contemporary; YA contemporary and AS YOU WISH/SISTERS RED copies; YA contemporary.


Case four, top to bottom: Cookbooks; manuscripts/journals; my old Boxcar Children books (my favorite-ist series ever-- my mom had to dole them out to me like candy); my mom's old Trixie Belden series.

Wonderful news of positive change from GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network)! After one year of their hard-hitting "Think Before You Speak" campaign, teens attitudes about anti-gay language have significantly shifted.

From the GLSEN website: "For instance, findings from a recent survey conducted by the Ad Council in 2008 and 2009 of teens aged 13-16 suggest that a higher percentage of teens in 2009 think that people should not say "that's so gay" for any reason (38% in 2009 vs. 28% in 2008) and a higher percentage also report "never" saying "that's so gay" when something is stupid or uncool (28% in 2009 vs. 18% in 2008).


"In the Ad Council's nearly 70-year history of creating campaigns to raise awareness and change public opinion and attitudes, we don't often see shifts of this magnitude in just over a year," said Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of the Ad Council. "We're looking forward to building on this success with a new series of PSAs and online tools that will help to further raise awareness and engage teens online."


Here is one of the videos that made the huge impact:



I adore Wanda Sykes. Just saying.

GLSEN is now started their second-year of education and awareness about the devastating effects of anti-gay hatred and language. Their website has information for parents and educators, along with all kinds of stuff you can put on your blog or website, plus polls, videos and lots more. Please take the time to check it out nd pass the word. (Thanks to School Library Journal's Extra Helping for the heads-up!)

Revision Tip #17

I keep thinking about the slightly different approaches Barry Lyga and I have to writing dialog.

I forgot to mention one part of that.

Your audience might affect your decision about how you structure dialog.

Many people are not sure who their audience is when working on the early drafts of their novel. Nothing wrong with that. But as you revise, you need to know who your reader is. The way you tell a story to olders teens will be different than the way you tell it to middle grade students. At least, I hope it would be.

My theory is that teen readers (ninth grade and above) have enough reading and life experience under their belts that they do not need as much visual action details accompanying dialog as younger readers do.

(This could also account for part of the difference between the Lyga and the Halse Anderson Schools Of Proper Dialog; Barry only writes for teens.)

The danger, of course, is that your middle grade (or younger) reader will get bored if you layer on the descriptive action with a heavy trowel.

Try this: Pull out only the action words from your dialog scene. Here's an example from a page I am working on now:

Character A speaks.
Character B gives reader visual description of Character A.
B speaks.
A reaches into sack and speaks. Hands apple to B.
B grabs apple, bites and speaks (note: he hasn't eaten for more than a day). Apple juice runs down his chin.
A removes hat, nods and speaks (introducing self)
B swallows, wipes faces on sleeve, speaks
A speaks
B speaks
A speaks
B chews and thinks
A speaks

I know - it's kind of boring to look at it that way, but by putting it under the microscope, I can make sure that the action details are an integral part of the story. They reinforce the fact that Character B is hungry, that he needs help, and that Character A might be a person he can turn to. It also balances a debt, because B helped A out of a bind in an earlier scene.

Bonus tip: since action in dialog scenes needs to be minimal and precise, it is a great opportunity to hone in on that perfect tiny detail that says volumes about the characters, setting, or conflicts at hand.

1) Either there is a dinosaur outside, someone is blasting dinosaur sounds through a speaker system, or that construction crew has found the perfect tool to use in the next Jurassic Park movie.

2) I keep organizing my book shelf. Then reorganizing it. This must end.

3) THIS DAMN HISTORICAL NOVEL WITHOUT A TITLE has been officially picked up again, and it is just as hard to write as it was before. Isn't practice supposed to make writing EASIER? Because wow. This is hard. *Powers through*

4) It is almost CHRISTMAS! Do you know how much I love Christmas!?!?

5) Yeah, I'm gonna need to cuddle this right now. Who can make that happen for me?

/end random post

On Monday, my office passed final inspection. HOORAY! The cabinets still have to be finished, and the internet isn't up and running, but yesterday my desk got moved over, so it's all happening. (As they say in Almost Famous. I also love, "Does anyone remember laughter?" and "Your looks have become a problem!" Oh, don't get me started on quoting from that movie, I will go on all day.) I have to say, though, even though I am way excited, it's also a little daunting. The last book I wrote in my actual office was Lock and Key: Along For the Ride, and what I'm working on now, have all been done in either my daughter's room, while she slept downstairs, or our guest room. Glamourous, yes? It's like when we moved to this house from our old Durham farmhouse rental, where I wrote in a back room with brown carpet and wood paneling that resembled a cave. And I still had to write facing a wall so I wouldn't get distracted. Then we come here, where I have windows and this big airy space, and I was convinced I'd never get anything done. But I did.

That's the thing. Writing is a job you can do anywhere. Sure, it's nice to have all your creature comforts, and I think most authors have their superstitions and habits, ranging from working a certain time of day, every day (guilty) to what kind of music they listen to, or what they eat while they're writing. But if the last couple of years, and books, have taught me anything, it's that really, I don't need anything other than my laptop and time. The rest is just gravy. Nice gravy, but gravy. So even though it may be daunting to take my show on the road (or across the breezeway and up the stairs) I know eventually I will adjust. Although I might have to face the wall for awhile first.

Now that I'm starting to pack up, I'm realizing how much stuff I have accumulated in my office since we moved in here ten or so years ago. LOTS of books, mostly. Now, I know a lot of people consider books to be decor, and the more you have, the better. But I'm a big believer in passing books along to other people. If I like a book, I'll usually pass it around to my friends and family and then donate it to the library. But if I LOVE a book, I'll keep it and put it on my office shelf. It's like the best of the class, or something. Going through them this morning, you can see what I mean: lots of Anne Tyler, John Irving (three copies of A Prayer for Owen Meany, my favorite book ever) my personalized copies of novels by Lee Smith, Doris Betts and Jill McCorkle. I also have signed copies from Pat Conroy and Dave Eggers. Nice, right? Plus some of my favorite books about writing---Bird by Bird, What If, On Writing---and ones that were given to me as gifts that have personal meaning. In all, they only fill about one big bookshelf, which isn't much, I know. Then I have a smaller shelf of my own novels. It's not rooms and rooms worth of books, like the house I grew up in. But they are all mine.

Okay, I have to go pack up some more boxes. The hardest part, I swear? Not getting all caught up in the nostalgia, looking at every single thing as I pack it. I found a bunch of How to Deal lipglosses yesterday and got all misty! I am such a sap. Honestly.

Have a great day, everyone!

Yesterday was.... let's not go into it.

Today is here and that is all that matters.

If you are still shopping for a winter holiday, read "Cheese and Crackers Never Changed Anyone's Life" and then finish your shopping at Indiebound.

There now - wasn't that simple?

Congratulations to Melissa on this WINTERGIRLS video - the project earned her a 100 in her class.

Revision Tip #16 (yes, I know it should be 15, but yesterday really was something of a mess and it's easier this way. Do you remember the "Bruce" sketch of Monty Python? Remember how there was no Rule #6? This is the same thing.)

Where was I?

Right, Revision Tip #16

Revision is the perfect time to brainstorm.

Really.

Brainstorming is not a one-and-done part of the writing process. Not the way I see it. After that messy first draft, I usually have chapters that feel empty or out-of-place. I mentioned the way I use huge sheets of paper to organize my chapters. Here is another technique.

1. Identify the critical chapters in your novel. Which are the ones that contain The Really Big Stuff?

The Really Big Stuff chapters will usually be separated by chapters in which the action unfolds in a slightly less intense way. Think of your novel as a wide river that your reader needs to cross. The RBS (Really Big Stuff) chapters are small islands in the river. The other chapters are either stepping stones or bridges that get the reader from one island to the next.

2. List the Stones & Bridges chapters, then prioritize them by how alive they feel. What is the chapter that feels the most flat - the chapter (or chapters!) you are secretly wondering if you should cut?

3. Don't cut them yet.

4. There is no Four.

5. Brainstorm as if you were starting from scratch. For each of the flat chapters, dream up ten different ways the action could unfold. Go ahead - be outrageous. I dare you. Sometimes thinking way outside the box is what you need to jolt your writer brain into clearer storytelling.

6. (Please note; there IS a Rule Six, Bruce!) Pick one of the ten and just freewrite the chapter over again. How does it help the reader understand the characters better? How does it move the story forward?

7. Rinse. Repeat. Send me questions.

The last one EVER! Can you believe it!?

Okay, so, not to alarm you or anything, but there are only ELEVEN days left until Christmas. Holy pajamas! I thought I had, like, much more time. Better get cracking.

In other news, I debated this morning whether I should even discuss the fact that I caught a couple of episodes of Jersey Shore on MTV this weekend. Why? Because a show like this is so completely over the top that you really need to watch about ten hours of Masterpiece Theatre to atone for it. I know there's been a lot of reaction to this show, especially from the Italian-American community, claiming it is full of stereotypes. And, well...it is. These people are SO overblown and exaggerated, it's like they aren't even real. I know people from New Jersey, and they are not like this. But it's MTV. People have figured out that in order to be on these shows, you need to be a "character," not just a person. And I know that if they were filming a show about NC and looking for Southerners, they'd probably pick the most Yee-hawing, tractor-driving folks they could find. But, seriously. I think, stereotypes aside, I am too old to be watching any show like this, about people in their twenties. When The Situation (and that's what he calls himself, I am not even joking) got pink eye, all I could think was that it was probably from the hot tub, which most likely needed to be disinfected. Yes, I am a mom. It's official now.

(It has just been pointed out to me that The Situation did not, in fact, get pink eye. That was Vinny. I stand corrected.)

(On a related note, The Situation, as a nickname, has become a running joke around here. My husband has decided I should be called The Complication. I personally like The Aberration. I could go on and on.....)

The rest of the weekend I spent indulging my office supply obsession, which was just entirely too much fun. (Again: geek.) My office is almost finished---I might actually get to move in before the new year!---so I had an excuse to hit Staples, which is always a great thing. Only fellow office geeks will appreciate the fact that I am having to transition from my regular file folders (manilla, letter size, tabbed) to hanging folders in my new cabinets. Confession: I don't like hanging folders. I feel that things fall out the sides. It's like a Pepsi or Coke thing among us office supply people: you either like one or the other, it's all personal preference. But I can adjust, right? On the plus side, I have an excuse to use my label maker, which is, like, the most fun thing ever.

*reads over entry*

Between Jersey Shore confessions and my labelmaker, I am NOT coming off well here today. Quick! Let me talk about something that makes me look cool, stat!

*thinks*

I got nothing. Oh, well.....

Have a great day, everyone!

My local paper ran an article yesterday about my reaction to the recent book challenges. The photographer who came up here to the Forest got a great shot of the magic window. (For the record, I just turned 48 years old, not 49. Geesh.)


It is rare that the part of my brain that writes for teens has a collision with the part of my brain that writes historical fiction, but the book I'm working on now, FORGE (yes, Virginia, it is the next book after CHAINS...... and you heard correct, it should be out next fall) is causing that to happen more and more. It's rather fascinating.

Take the quote I stumbled upon yesterday, from the journal of Continental Army Surgeon Albigence Waldo:

"Provisions and Whiskey very scarce. Were Soldiers to have plenty of Food and Rum, I believe they would Storm Tophet."

Monday morning quiz: which one of my YA novels does Dr. Waldo's quote connect to? (answer is at the end of today's post)


Revision Tip #14

Ever run into one of those chapters that just won't jump through the right hoops? You try cutting it out, but that doesn't work. You change the setting, the dialog, the plot points, and the character focus. You change the color of the sun. Nothing works.

Try this.

Back up three or four chapters. Read them very carefully. Where is the set-up to the action in your Problem Chapter?

What do you mean there is no set-up? Does the action of your Problem Chapter happen like a bolt of lightning? Probably not. It needs to come inevitably from the flow of your story. Something happened earlier to trigger the Problem Chapter. The key to fixing it lies in those earlier chapters.

That is what I spent the weekend doing. Chapter 18 needed to become two chapters. That was the easy part. But Chapter 19 was a big headache. I played a lot of loud music, went back to my primary sources, looked at the want ads again to see if I am qualified for any other job besides being an author, and then studied the earlier chapters.

All I had to do was this:
1. Add some descriptions to the introduction of a few secondary characters in Chapter 11.
2. Pick up on those descriptions for one new paragraph in Chapter 14.
(Those two changes made a bit of dialog in Chapter 17 much richer, btw. Unanticipated bonus!)
3. Now that I had planted the seeds, I could properly craft the set-up in Chapter 18.
4. And, ta-da, write the action that was so sorely needed in Chapter 19!
5. Take the stuff that Chapter 19 sets up and make sure it is dealt with in Chapters 20 - 23.

Does this make sense?

Today I will chase the windmill that calls itself Chapter 24. Wish me luck.

ANSWER TO TODAY'S QUIZ: Dr. Waldo references Tophet in his journal entry, which means the place where children were sacrificed in ancient cultures. It is also the name of the video game that Tyler Miller plays in TWISTED. (Yes, that was deliberate on my part.)

Given how late it is right now, you might have already figured this one out.

Revision Tip #13

When revising, sometimes you just need to turn the blasted Internet off. As in all the way OFF.

Because when revising, you have to hold a million strands of character and story and setting and voice and everything else in your head. Some days, there just isn't room for anything else.

Our poor house. This week everything has broken. Fortunately, Tyler is very handy and has a knack for seeing what needs to be done and doing it. Seriously, thank heavens!

It all started at the beginning of the week. We came home from somewhere and I went to the laundry room and the floor was all wet. It had soaked a little into the carpet, but not into the walls, but it looked like it had, at one time, covered most of the floor.

After some investigation, Tyler realized that there must have been some kind of neighborhood back up and that water had just spontaneously come up through our floor drain. Nice. Her cleaned it up and that was the end of that--or so we thought.

The next day, it still smelled wet and musty so I opened the laundry room window. That night I got up at three in the morning and the bathroom sink wouldn't turn on. I woke Tyler and he checked it out and found that cold air came in through the open window and froze the pipes. He stayed up all night thawing them.

The next day everything worked except our bathroom faucets. Tyler realized that a big chunk of debris from the thawing had clogged up a little cartridge thing in the tub faucet, so he broke it apart and replaced the cartridge. Problem solved--mostly.

Well, by later that day, the bathroom sink still didn't work and for some reason, the drain had also totally stopped. Tyler got in there and replaced the faucet entirely and the drain and it works better now than it ever had. We thought we were finished.

Last evening, I noticed the heat was off. It turns itself off several times a day and at night so this was nothing new. I went down and flipped the switch and all the things we've learned to do these past winters in this house. This time, though, nothing happened. It's a picky heater and when this happens, Tyler has learned several tricks to make it go, but none of those worked. He realized the motor had totally bit the dust.

I often complain that this house is so hot. It's like night vision goggles searching out any little bit of light and concentrating it by a hundred--only in this case it is heat not light. That characteristic came in handy last night. It really is the warmest house in the history of mankind. Ellen and I bought a few little cheap space heaters from Walmart and we put them in bedrooms and in the kitchen/livingroom area. At first, it was too much and we kept blowing fuses--which is fun because the fuse box is outside and it was 0 degrees last night. Our electricity in this house is kind of funny that way. It was made in 1948 and can handle 1948 worth of drain. After a while, we got it right.

At three in the morning, I woke up and had to turn most of the heaters off because it was so hot in the house. We still have them off (all of them now) and it is very warm and comfortable. I'm not sure how that's possible considering it is probably like 5 degrees outside and our windows are so drafty, that the blinds are blowing in the breeze.

We won't be able to get the furnace fixed until Monday, but we will be just fine. Poor Tyler, he has had his work cut out for him. Poor bank account, we can only wonder what's next and how much will it cost.

The nice thing about all this is that any one of those things could have been a disaster, but at best they have been an annoying inconvenience that were soon remedied. No burst pipes, no freezing cold house, no exploding water fixtures or anything of the kind. I just made up that last one for dramatic effect, but still, you get the idea.

Well, I hope in a few days when the furnace is fixed that we are done, but after this week, I'm not going to count on it.

Evaluate every adverb in your story.

Can any of them be removed by using a stronger verb?

Make it so.

Thanks for everything, Erin! Some of the best moments of my life so far have been a result of your hard work! Have a wonderful day!

Blogging has been on the backburner lately. I'm not sure why, it's just that way. Here are some of the things that have been going on at our house:

Here is the snow we got at the beginning of the week. It's been really cold so nearly every flake is still in place. It's really pretty!


Here is the dollhouse in progress. It makes a big--BIG mess in the living room when I work on it, so I hope it doesn't take me too long to finish it. Since the stuff in the photo is all I have done, I think I've got a while.


We have been to several Christmas events like a big live nativity thing run by my in-laws. It was nice because they set it in a little canyon that is so beautiful. They had a staff of like 100 people and pretty much made a small city complete with camels and sheep and goats and shops and everything. Tyler was a centurion at the opening of the canyon. He loved dressing up in the costume and visiting with everyone.

The only problem was that it was like 0 degrees, but it was worth it.

Today, we got a package from my parents with Christmas gifts. My mom sent me an extra package with three of my favorite toys from when I was a very little girl. It was so fun to get it!

This is Sally, Sally's Mother and Chickabape.
I think it's kind of cute I named a doll Sally's mother. My brother Matt had a blue rabbit that was best friends with Chickabape. It's name was Rababbit. He threw it on the roof when we were like four our five years old and that was the end of Rababbit. I chewed off Sally's mother's fingers (I chewed on EVERYTHING when I was a kid) and I did surgery on Chickabape so she no longer plays music. Sally's hair has been like that ever since I remember. I wonder what it originally looked like. I'm so glad my mom saved these toys all these years.

I've also been working on my revision. I started again this week to add what I learned about the characters last week. The first fifty pages flew by, but now it's getting tougher. Today I put it away and started watching Gilmore Girls DVDs I got from the library. I've actually never seen the show, but I've been meaning to get to it. I really like it so far. I think it will be a nice escape during the too-busy Christmas season.

Well, that's a bit of what's going on here. December is so busy, it's hard to squeeze everything in, and I'm a bit worn down with it all. I'm pretty much ready for a vacation--by myself or with girlfriends where I don't have to deal with stressed out kids or stressed out spouses or anyone's problems and my only job is to have fun and regroup and get filled back up. I could really go for some of that right now. Maybe I'll pull out the dollhouse tonight and watch a few more episodes of Gilmore Girls.

IN WRITING NEWS:

Did you know it was agent appreciation day? Well, it is according to a million friends on my LJ account so I better start crackin!

Dear Jen and Fellow Writer Friends,

Jen, thanks for all you do as my agent! Writers: If you are unagented or thinking about dropping your current loser-agent, here are reasons why you should put Jen at the top of your list.

1) It is really fun to freak her out when interviewing her as a potential agent. "Hmmm.. uh... I don't know.... Let me get back to you in a week." :)
2) Jen has never given up on a work that she loves. The rest, we agree, sux.
3) When we don't agree, Jen lets me bitch and moan a while until I agree.
4) You can say "Jen Rofe is A-Okay!" and it sorta rhymes! How neat is that?
5) I could go on, but I better stop here or she'll get mad at me for procrastinating when I should be writing. So I'll just tell you that Reason #5-10 were pretty kick-butt. But sorry I won't be able to share them with you, because #11 ....Jen is a really great agent and knows when she needs to crack the whip so she can sell more books for her clients!

Ta-ta for now!

SNOOP SAYS:

I thought *I* was your agent. What the?!