Was it Karma?

Is this what happens when I blog about having nothing to write about?  I now have something to write about?

It doesn't matter that this is something I don't want to write about.  Because it's depressing and I could kick myself.

I'm usually very good at backing up my data.  I usually send myself my WIP via e-mail every night I've worked on it.  But did I do that Saturday? Sunday?  Nope and nope.

I realize now that e-mailing my WIP isn't enough.  I need to back up my whole stupid computer every night.  And the thing is, it's not hard to do.  My husband has all the computers sharing.  All I had to do was copy and paste.

Last night, in the middle of a good flow of writing, my computer screen when BLACK.  I thought I forgot to plug it in and the battery died.  Nope.  Not that lucky.  Computer won't come on - at all.  The thing is, it's only 17 months old.  I might have done all that back-up stuff if I thought I was working on an older computer.  But 17 months?  Really?

Did I bring it on myself?  Complain about not having anything to write about?  Not backing up my data?  Was Karma listening? 

My computer goes in for repairs tomorrow.  If they can't fix it, my husband believes he can pull the harddrive and retrieve all my data.  I'm glad, but I have to wait.  That's not easy for me, especially when I want to write my book.  But I'll be patient.  I don't want to have to re-write what I had (granted, I only had 14 pages or so - I know I passed the 4000 word mark), but if I have to, I will.  The story will be told.  It will just take me a little longer to get back to it.

So in the meantime, maybe I'll get some more blogging done.  Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!  We'll see about that.

I'm Dry!

My mind is dry of anything interesting to write about. It seems to be that way during this time of year. This time of year when football seems to dominate my time.

Friday night – high school football. Son graduated in 2000, daughter in 2003 (both were in the band) and we still go to the games. When you’re hooked, you’re hooked.

Oh – and the Wayne Warriors won. A 0-2 start made us nervous. They are now 2-2.

Saturday – Ohio State football. Neither kid went there, but we’re fans. How can you not be fans when you live in Ohio? Well, one person we know is, gasp(!), a Michigan fan (and he’s not even from Michigan). You can imagine he gets a lot of grief, but that’s what it’s all about for him. He loves the controversy. Me, not so much. Husband is from Florida, I’m from California, but we’ve both adopted OSU. And they are currently undefeated this season. Go Bucks!

Sunday – Steelers football. Since the game wasn’t televised locally, we went to Buffalo Wild Wings (or what we call B-dubs) to watch the game. A lot of Steelers fans in the area do the same, so we have to arrive early if we want a good seat. You’d be surprised how many Steelers fans there are in Bengals country. And we’re happy fans, too. Still undefeated.

Even with all the football, I was able to write more of my book. But blogging, not so much. I need to start thinking of interesting topics and writing them down. Time can get away from me quicker than anything (I just realized today it has been a week since I blogged). I’ll do my best to think of something to write about before NEXT Sunday!

Break Over

Woke up with ideas of how to start my third book. That made me happy, because these characters have been quiet for a while (like since May). Other characters have been chatting in my head. But I wasn’t ready to write their story yet. I needed a story to stand on its own (even though it is part of my series).

So when I woke up with a solution to a problem I was having with the female character, and she started talking, I rejoiced. She hadn’t talked to me before. Only the male character had. I can now start writing Jack and Sunny’s story. Ben and Victoria (those characters who were previously chatting) are on the back burner. And what about Sam and Janie you ask (since I’ve written some of that)? They are too close to John and Sarah (their story is mentioned in SARAH’S TURN) and I need to break away from them. Like I said, I need distance from the first two books and Jack and Sunny are that.

Yes, I have strange names to books, but I got tired of calling them by numbers. So I’m naming them by the characters until a firmer title forms in my head. Some people seem to have an easy time naming their books. Not me. I was almost finished with THE UNCOMMON ONE before that name firmed up in my head. SARAH’S TURN came a little easier, though (although it’s technically THE UNCOMMON ONE PART II).

I am trying to plot some of this book out. I thought I had back in April (when I used these characters for an assignment during the Aspiring Authors class I took during the RT Convention). But now that Sunny is talking, I realized what I had plotted out before won’t work. That’s okay. I think I’m basically a pantser at heart.

I really didn’t think I would start on the next project so soon. But the urge to write never goes away. I’m looking forward to seeing where Jack & Sunny take me.

It's Done!

I can't believe I actually FINISHED my second novel.  It is such a wonderful experience (and a little sad, too - didn't expect that!).

Now, what to do next?  Should I take a break or start on the next one right away?  For those of you who have done this before, what did you do? 

When I finished my first book, I tried to stay away before editing it, but I couldn't.  I ended up reading the story too many times (although to be fair, I'm still not tired of reading it, so that's a good thing, isn't it?).  I don't want to do that with this one.  I'm FIRMLY putting it away for at least a month.

I think I might want a small break.  Probably until the weekend comes (my favorite time to write).  Then I'll start on book #3.

But today is such a wonderful day.  I finished SARAH'S TURN.  Life is good!

Dragon*Con

I’m currently in Atlanta, awaiting my first Dragon*Con. Having been to only one convention in my life, I’m not totally sure what to expect.

My daughter counted down the days to this Dragon*Con since last year’s ended. She loves it. She’s the one who talked me into going this year.

Now, I’m not completely unfamiliar with Dragon*Con. My husband and I came down here several years ago to pick our daughter up (she flew down, but since we were sight-seeing in the area during Labor Day weekend, we drove her home). We were amazed with the amount of time and money that went into some of the costumes the attendees wore. And they apparently wore them all day (not just for contests or parties).

I’m not a costume kind of person. And I’m glad my daughter isn’t either!

I’ll try and keep you posted on how it’s going, but with the limited access I have to the internet, don’t be surprised if the next time I blog, I’m back home!