Wow.  Been awhile since I posted last.  A lot of things have happened in the intervening time.

Job: still unemployed.  It really isn't looking good for regaining that job, so I will be restarting my job search when I get back from vacation.  Kind of a bummer because I liked that job, and loved working again with Ed.  He's not happy either, though he is trying to be hopeful.  It is a hard road for him.  I'm just resigned to the fact that it isn't going to happen.

Vacation: I am excited about this vacation.  You'd think that being a full-time writer & stay-at-home would not require vacation time.  It is more stressful than you think.  I'll be going to Seaside, OR for a week with two of my older sisters, #1 & 3.  I am sooo looking forward to it.  Change of venue, ocean view, different shops & sights.  Time away from household concerns.  Good times with my sisters who are best friends.  I'll be taking my laptop in case I get ideas or inspired.

Writing: I finally got over the chapter 17 hump.  I was hung up for a long time on the second section.  The moxie group told me why: very tense scene, a lot riding on the side-action, all the tension nonverbal.  I got through that scene--did it well according to the girls--and pushed through the 3rd scene the following week.  I blew through chapter 18 in a couple of weeks, and am now deep into the climax of the book (first scene of chapter 19).  Chap 19, scene 2 starts today.  I want to be through 19, and maybe even 20 before the week is out.  Lots of work.  I think The Man is going to lose me for a few weeks to the push.

In addition to my writing, I was finally able to give my talk on Villains to the Boise Spec Fic group.  Turn out was low, but I can always post the presentation to the list-serve in the files section.  It helped at least one person immediately, so I consider it a success.  I have been asked to give an online class for the Murder in the Grove online workshops, to be held in February.  The class will encompass the two talks I have given to the Spec-Fic group, in expanded formats. 

I feel some trepedation in giving an online class.  I know my material, but I could always know more.  Plus, I am unpublished, so I tend to wonder if I know enough to be of use to anyone, and if anyone will take me seriously like I know what I'm talking about and have good advise.  I know this is just the monkey-mind talking, but there it is.  To offset the worry, I think I will start to develop the actual class in December, doing lesson plans, etc.  I dont want to be caught with my pants down and doing things last minute.  That would not be helpful.
   
Diet & exercise: On a separate note, the diet is going well.  I maintained the same weight for a few weeks, neither gaining nor losing.  Those were the same weeks that I was busy cleaning house & making it presentable for out of town guests.  This portion control thing really works.  I can eat whatever I want, but the portions have to be very small.  If I go to a restaurant, I usually take half of the meal home, even if it is an appetizer.  Eat slower so the food has a chance to hit bottom and make me feel fuller faster.  My exercise regimen has been on hold for a few weeks, again because of the flurry of delayed spring cleaning (in September), which included garage and shed reorgs.  Exercise begins again today.  I will continue on the diet & exercise even on vacation.  It is fairly easy to maintain, and I don't want to lose ground.  I've lost 17lbs now, I think.  Woot!

My in-laws were here the week after Labor Day, hence the flurry of cleaning and straightening and reorganization.  The Man and I enjoyed their visit, low-key and pleasant.  On that Saturday, we ordered bbq from Andrew's Rib Shack, and got a whole bunch of additional foodage.  My parents, his parents, both our girls,  the oldest's boyfriend/fiance, and our two good friends, the Redhead and her new husband.  This is the first occasion our respective parents had a chance to meet.  It was a fun evening, low key, lots of laughter, good times.  The Man and I were glad when everyone went home.  We missed them all, but we were glad to have the house to ourselves again.  We took a week of downtime to recover, only doing minor jobs and errands.  That was when I got through scene 1 of chapter 19.

I wrote scene 1 of chapter 19 almost in one sitting.  I then spent the rest of the week editing it, adding, filling it out.  If I do that for every remaining scene, I won't get done with the first draft of the novel by the 30th, which is my goal.  I need to get words on the page, do cursory revising, and then go back and fill in the holes after Moxie gets a chance to read it.  I can consider those revisions part of the 2nd draft, if necessary.  I can't afford so much initial revising.  I have to turn off the perfectionist in me, just for a little while.  The first draft doesn't have to be perfect.  The second draft needs to be as close to perfect as I can get it, then I can send it out to the test readers for review.  Revise again according to their comments.  This should be a much shorter process than the 1st draft.  I would like to be seeking an agent by spring, if not sooner. 

Well, here it is the start of the New Year, and I am finally writing a new post.

Thanksgiving and Christmas went well, family time spent, and joy to be had.  I also caught the cold that Starbuck (Monster #2) brought over on Christmas Day.  Thanks honey, I could have done without that gift.
 
My New Year's resolution was unspoken; I just decided to act on it.  I signed up for an online writing class with Margie Lawson: Defeat Self-Defeating Behaviors: Allow Writing Productivity and Creativity to Soar
www.writeruniv.com

I've had 2 classes already, and expect a third on Tuesday.  They are, so far, enlightening.  I've taken several pages of notes already.  Great ideas, most that I have heard or tried before, but I seem to be more receptive to them this time.  Perhaps I am just ready to "hear" them.  I like it.  What she says makes sense.  She is pushing me out of my comfort zone, which is not a bad thing, since my comfort zone has been rather insular of late.  If I want to succeed as a writer, I have to overcome the obstacles I keep putting in my own path.  Gee, that sounds suspiciously like personal accountability and responsibility.

But this class goes beyond the "No Excuses" shindig that I have tried in the past that just led to more self-recrimmination and brow-beating, and guilt.  Hopefully, this class will help me quiet the monkey-mind that plays such a roll in my self-defeating behaviors.

Definition of monkey-mind: the voices chattering in your head which fling negative-leading questions, snide comments about your abilities, guilt, and accusations like rotten fruit. Their miasma leads to fear and disheartenment, and inaction.

Anyway, I am looking forward to meeting up with the Moxie 4 here next weekend.  Its been over a month for me, with snow days, Christmas, and illness messing with our schedules.  I miss them.  I am going through withdrawals.