Yippee! Yippee! Yippee!

This is a three Yippee day because my writing buddy, Debbie Diesen, was just walking along and minding her own business when she up and landed herself on the New York Times Bestseller List!


(Dramatic Pause)


Oh, she did her part, of course--wrote a fabulous rhyming picture book called The Pout Pout Fish. That definitely helps. And a lot of smart people bought it! I don't mean to sound bossy or anything, but, really, you should too.


Congratulations to you, Debbie. It couldn't happen to a nicer, more deserving person.

Goal Tending

In the sidebar my summer goals have been languishing these past months. It's almost time to take them down, accomplished or not, or turn them into "Fall Goals."

Here is the update:

Get a handle on my WIP revisions--Have I done this? It depends on your definition of "Getting a Handle on." I would maybe say I have a fetal (not to be confused with "futile") grip on my revisions. I'm going to call this goal accomplished because it was a poorly written, non-specific goal anyway.

Actually Begin the rewrite of WIP--I did this. Began writing it at the retreat I went on at the beginning of the month. I am twenty pages into my rewrite, which could be called a decent beginning. I suspect I may end up tossing these and beginning anew very soon, but let's focus on now, all right?

Declutter finished portion of basement--This is so very nearly done I'm going to call it finished. I have cleaned out both closets (not to mention finishing the storage room project). The only thing left is to re-organize my daughter's craft area which is going to require the purchase of a table, and a small dump truck. Once these things are done, it's a 1/2 day away from completion.

Read The Taming of the Shrew--(cue the creaky sound of my brain limbering up for iambic pentameter):

I couldn't find my copy for a while.

(Then found it at the bottom of a pile)

It's been put off forever and a day

(I pride myself on doing what I say)

And now that my excuses are so few--

I have to read The Taming of The Shrew.

Read some other adult classics--Huh. Well, I did start to read a book of first hand accounts from visitors to the New World (Women) while I was on vacation in Pennsylvania. I would argue that Madapple is a book for adults--not a classic, but. . . .Clearly I struggled with this one. Oh! Traveling Mercies by Ann LaMott! There, is that enough to qualify as some? Let's say yes because whoever wrote these goals needs to learn how to use less subjective terms.

While not a rip-roaring success by any stretch, I suppose I did some things this summer. Time to think about fall goals now. Ones that don't include doing "some" of something or "getting a handle" on another. For now, to borrow words from Farmer Hoggett, That'll do, Pig. That'll do.

P.S. As of 9:51 pm the craft area in my basement is organized. Decluttered basement--check.

Writing Exercise No. 5

I spent most of today in the hospital while my husband had knee surgery. Everything went smoothly and he is doing well. Perhaps the most interesting part of spending five hours in a waiting room is watching the people, and eavesdropping on their conversations (under the flimsy guise of pretending to be engrossed in a Sudoku puzzle).

Some people would call this rude and unethical. I call it research. I pay attention to voices, cadences in speech, vocabulary etc. After a while I didn't even need to look up to see who was talking because the voices were so distinct.

So, this exercise is about voice: Write a scene of dialogue between two characters (make it interesting, maybe a study in contrasts, like Pollyanna and a biker babe). Then pick a setting (waiting room? The mall? A cocktail party?) Write a scene only using dialogue. No "he said" "she said" tags--just a script.

Think about speech habits they might have. How educated the character is. What they do for a living. Where they are from. All these things affect how a person talks.

Read it and see if the voices are strong enough to identify the speakers without a tag. Let somebody else read it and tell you if the voices are distinct. Does your work in progress have snappy dialogue? I sometimes get lazy and--whoopsie!--find I've fallen right out of a character's head.

Do you have any good exercises for strengthening dialogue?

Sheepish Post

In a spontaneous burst of Olympic Spirit, I had the hare-brained idea to challenge my critique group to a writing challenge.: Write every day for an hour this week. I thought, hey, I need to get back in the swing, and surely, if I put it on the blog I will be accountable. It started Monday.

I didn't write Monday.

I wrote a little on Tuesday.

I didn't write today (because this doesn't count--and even if blogging did count, I wouldn't count this because counting a blog post about not writing is just plain desperate).

I plan to write tomorrow, yes, I will. I will do that.

Summer is such a buzz kill on my writing routine. And it doesn't help that I'm a teensy bit stuck on my rewrite. I know, I know, I should still work and just work on something else. I know. . . .an Olympic writer would go the distance, not peter out when things get difficult. Or the weather gets nice, or appliances are being delivered, or the daughter needs help decluttering her room, or the real Olympics are on.

Maybe I'll just paint my door red.

I guess I won't be on the podium with this attitude. :o)
I plan to shape up and glue myself to the chair. Tomorrow.

Peeling Fine

I enjoy a cute cucumber. And really, who doesn't? This one is from my own garden, which also has some Roma tomatoes ripening up nicely. The reason I'm "peeling fine" at the moment, though, has more to do with revisions on my novel. I'm right now engaged in a surgical procedure commonly known as "subplot removal." If I keep my hand steady, my focus sharp and my problem child "left brain" firmly in check, I could meet my December deadline. In the meantime I will also continue my search for photogenic produce. I mean I could just eat him up, couldn't you?

Recipes From Childhood #1--WaCkY cAkE

Wacky Cake

I have fond memories of making this cake with my mom. Remember Wacky Cake? Sometimes its called Nothing Cake because it has no eggs. Anyway, the wacky part is the way you have to make it. There can be no deviation from the three-wells-in-the-dry-ingredients format or it will not turn out. Period. And if you're one of those people who has to try it yourself to believe it, just remember, I warned you. And here's another warning: This is yummy, so don't be surprised if you find yourself cutting little pieces off all day long until--OOPS--you can't believe you ate the whole wacky pan.

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

3-4 Tablespoons cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 Tablespoon cider vinegar

6 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup cold water

Sift together all dry ingredients right into your ungreased eight by eight (or nine by nine or what have you) pan. Then make three wells in the mixture. put the vanilla in one, the vinegar in another and the oil in the last one (make it big enough). Then pour your water over the whole business and stir it with a fork until it's well mixed. Then wipe the batter off the sides of the pan because you get it everywhere (because this is wacky cake--not neat and tidy cake). Spread it even and put it in the oven at 350 degrees (preheated). My daughter does not recommend eating the batter. "It tastes vinegary."

Bake it thirty or forty minutes until the toothpick comes out clean. Let cool as long as you can stand not scooping off a little corner and sampling your work. It tastes great warm and, in my opinion, doesn't even need frosting. If you have to have some, I've heard that an almond spread is delicious. I like to sift a little powdered sugar on mine, maybe a dollop of whipped cream if I'm feeling really wacky. :o) Enjoy making this one with your kids.

Hi, My Name is Lori. . . .

I'm constantly dragging my kids away from the computer and complaining about the video game culture. I set timers and rant about "vulnerable developing brains" and the "decline of higher level thinking" amongst their peers.

I complain. My husband, son and daughter (aged thirty-nine, thirteen and eleven) look at each other with genuine confusion. "You don't want us to have fun," they say. "Daddy gets to play as much computer as he wants."

"It's too late for Daddy."

The Nintendo Wii came out. I began to buy into the inherent "non-video gamishness" of the product. It seemed to be a deviation from the standard catatonic-state-inducing style of play. My son was turning thirteen. At an age where he is becoming increasingly glum, I saw an opportunity to make him smile in pure, unadulterated joy. We bought one. Not only did our son love it, we had the added bonus of causing his sister to cry with gratitude.

Now for the unintended side-effect of this ordeal.

Um, I have inadvertently been sucked into a vortex known as "Guitar Hero." My children, the enablers of this addiction (they borrowed the game from a neighbor) are taking great joy in watching their mother rock out to songs from her youth. You actually hold a "guitar," and play it (!), kind of like guitar karaoke. I know! What? You already knew all about this? People, where have I been?

My message to mothers everywhere is, if you haven't yet, don't start. Don't do it. When you see your children coming toward you with this game, RUN in the other direction as fast as you can. The neighbors are going to want the game back soon and I am in grave danger of hitting the streets to buy my own rock star fantasy. Soon I may get a skull tattoo and start wearing black eyeliner. Ah, the slippery slope to hell that is rock and roll.

So I endure the mocking, which, of course, is totally worth it.

Adam: Mom, you've been playing that for quite a while now. Aren't you afraid of what it's doing to your brain?

Me: Just one more song. Blondie is a poet, man!

Call me!

I need help.

Ann's Picture

I'm sure we'll post some more pics from our retreat on Writebrainers. In the meantime I shamelessly stole this one from Misplaced Electrons (Ann's blog). I never thought I'd have such a big group of special friends like these guys. Tim said he'd added a few weeks to his life this weekend, what with all the laughing and camaraderie.

Retreat Treat

This is where I stayed with my critique group this weekend on our first annual RETREAT. I've arrived home feeling entirely RE-charged, RE-laxed, and REally grateful for the seven wildly talented individuals I'm lucky enough have association with. Frankly, I am proud to know them.

We arrived Friday afternoon and spent the evening catching up, especially with our long-distance member, April from Iowa :o) (She'll always be a Michigander at heart). The Hankerd Inn was very comfortable and spacious, with the perfect workspace for each of our varying tastes. Meals were cooked by our hostess, Janet, and we could do nothing but visit and write! You talk about heaven! This is hard to beat. Check out the house we had all to ourselves.


Lots of time spent in this room. :o) At one point at least four of us worked together here in companionable silence. A communion of creative souls.




This is the room I shared with Amy (who, incidentally, just got an agent I can't mention yet until she makes an announcement and officially signs her contract!) We were very comfortable. I will never outgrow slumber parties.

My own goal, beginning the rewrite of my novel, is accomplished. I worked through the first twenty pages of my manuscript. Next year we may do a three day weekend so we can get even more done. Many of us have young families and could die for more uninterrupted writing time!

Amy, Ann, April, Debbie, Kay, Ruth and Tim--thanks.

All the photos in this post are from the Hankerd Inn website. Check it out!