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All’s Well That Ends With Chocolate!
After a crazy day of packing, kid hauling, paper signing, and traveling to the OCW Summer Coaching Conference, I settled in for an afternoon of encouragement and learning. My first workshop was taught by Jeff Gerke. We learned about dialogue and handling profanity.
Yes…PROFANITY!
After the workshop I was starving. Okay, maybe not starving. I’m an overfed American. Really hungry is not my norm. As it turns out, while I packed every bit of clothing I own, I failed to put in even the smallest snack.
So when dinner time rolled around, I had to concentrate on not mowing down the competition for the buffet. Luckily I’d met up with Gail Sattler. Her great conversation provided the restraint needed for me to appear relatively polite.
After dinner Jim Rubart enchanted us with his encouraging keynote. By the time he was done speaking, I was ready to jump off a cliff. That’s a good thing!
Susan May Warren and Rachel Hauck taught an amazing night owl session. They took a synopsis and tore it apart. I consider synopsis to be a form of enemy. I’ve read blog and books on the subject only to feel just as incompetent as I did before. But I think they’ve done it. We’ll see as I finish up my new synopsis.
And the night ended with CHOCOLATE! Thanks to Susan May Warren and Rachel Hauck, we binged on popcorn and candy while learning more about what My Book Therapy has to offer.
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I’m Here – OCW 2012
Packing should not be done the way it was today. Lately, time is a precious commodity, and like gold, I have very little. The consequence is a suitcase stuffed with almost every outfit I own. No order, no plan. I have no idea what I’ll be wearing tomorrow.
But…I have arrived at the 2012 OCW Summer Coaching Conference. Despite the heat, everything is wonderful. The location is beautiful. The instructors are knowledgeable and enthusiastic. And I remembered my curling iron this year. Big cheer for that one!
I’m thrilled to reconnect with wonderful people, learn, and hopefully not melt. The temperature is expected to be in the 90s all week. For Oregonians, that’s hot!
And the big Nelson news…We signed those pesky refinance papers today! Yes, I know that is not writing related, but we’ve been in this process since March. Bravo to my financially savvy husband.
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Writing for the Fame of it?
Funny, huh? Seriously…How many writers would you recognize if they walked by you? If I wasn’t a writer, I think my answer would be somewhere around four, maybe five. And really, I think that’s higher than average. Correct me if I’m wrong.
I often read Rachelle Gardner’s blog. Her “Why Pursue Publishing” post really got me thinking. Why do I pursue publishing? It is definitely NOT for the fame.
As with many who commented on that post, I think affirmation is a major reason I seek publication. I work hard. This isn’t just a fun way to pass the extra minutes while I wait for kids to finish at practice, or an excuse to delegate the dishes.
Writing is tough. It keeps me up at night pondering how a character will react to what I have in store for them. It puts a dent in my shoulder where I sling my giant laptop case, often causing me to walk like I’m in the Crooked Man’s house. Do you have any idea how much stress comas add to my life?
But it’s more than affirmation.
For me, it’s the chance to allow a reader to be lost in a story for 300 plus pages, and emerge at the end with a renewed sense of hope.
And…I don’t think I could stop if I wanted to.
Questions:
If you’re a writer, why do you write?
If you’re a reader, what do you want from a book?
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How We Became Redneck Ranchers
Question: What’s worse than a child running into the house yelling that the steers are out?
Answer: A child running into the house yelling that the steers are GONE!
That’s how we were greeted not too long ago. Of course, it was a morning where we had somewhere to be.
Inspection of the steer pen revealed that they had broken a board leaving a gaping hole. And…the feed from the night before was still there. They must have made their escape soon after feeding time. Twelve hours is a very long time to wander. Visions of the beasts marching through town made my stomach twist.
We scoured the property for any sign.
They’d been in the garden. My broccoli…Gone!
To our great relief it seemed they’d headed for the west end of the property. Hundreds of acres would come between them and civilization.
Our oldest son took off running, the younger son took the quad, oldest daughter saddled the horse, and the youngest hopped in the truck with us.
Behind our property dirt roads twist around poking out here and there into various field. So many routes they could have taken. What a wonderful sound to hear one of the kids scream that they’d spotted them!
There they were, on a narrow path near the river. My oldest son haltered one, and we began the long walk home.
With the steers back home (I think they were happy to be back too), we repaired the fence and moved on with the day.
Wouldn’t you know it, they broke out again only few days later. My husband only had time for a quick repair because the sun was setting.
This is what I saw the next morning:
Yes, that is a Suburban blocking the hole. Classy, huh?
The fence is REALLY fixed now. On to other adventures.
