ROW80 – R1C11

Hey, everyone! I’m feeling preeeeety awesome today. Check it out:

1. Go to Writer’s Market at least three times a week. Incomplete. Most of the time I forget about this goal. Then when I do remember, I’m really not in the mood to do it. I feel guilty because I’m paying for the service and I really, really want to use it. I’m going to try to set aside some time today and look at more of the e-mails they’ve been sending me.
2. Write at least four days a week. Done! I wrote SIX days this week. Well, technically I edited most of those days but it still falls underneath this category. I’m actually breaking this one down into writing for my short stories, writing background info for D1, and editing L1. I wrote 464 words this week on one of my short stories and then was completely involved in editing L1. I took the advice you guys gave me last time (thank you SO much, by the way) and gave up on the other project (for now). And how is editing L1 going, you may ask? Excellent! It’s so weird to be completely wrapped up in my own story. That hasn’t happened for a very long time in D1. I’m pretty particular when I edit, but I was finding that my first eight chapters are pretty good for having written them over the course of about a week. The book definitely still needs work, but I have high hopes for this project. My word count jumped just a little bit to 40,605 since January 1st.
3. Exercise five days a week. Done! Wait, did you see that? Yep, that said DONE! Whoo hoo! I buckled down and concentrated on this particular goal this week. It really wasn’t bad and it felt really good to get back into it again. I also just bought a new DDR game, so I’m hoping that sort of wipes out the boredom factor. (Plus, it’s got a Spice Girls song on it, so you KNOW I’m going to be playing that one a lot!)
4. Read every day. Done! Still working on Tiger’s Voyage. This book has so much potential, yet the author tends to drag things out and flip flop with emotions so much that it’s very wearing. I can’t wait to finish it just so I can move onto my next book. I hope the fourth one in the series (coming out  in September) is much better.
5. Blog at least three times a week, not including my ROW80 updates. Done! This is really becoming habit now, and I usually don’t have any trouble coming up with material to work with and staying on my MWF schedule. My only problem is having trouble switching up topics enough. Can’t wait for Monday’s post. It’s going to be fun.

There you have it! A pretty good week, if I so say so myself. I’m off to edit some more – I’m so excited! Isn’t that weird? Such a great feeling though.

Hope you’re all doing well this week, too!

(Oh, and that good news I was talking about last week? Well, I got one e-mail telling me I was being considered for this…thing. ( ) I think tomorrow I’ll find out if I got it or not. I’ll let you know!)

Kill Your TV

Myndi Shaffer wrote up a wonderful post about Barbie and her influences on little girls. Everyone knows the fact that Barbie’s dimensions are beyond unrealistic – so much so that Barbie would be anorexic if she were real. But Myndi had a good point:. Barbie has taught us about fashion and dressing up and just being a GIRL. I love that message. Rock on.

However, one of the facts she posted about Barbie really caught my attention:  *Slumber Party Barbie was introduced in 1965 and came with a bathroom scale permanently set at 110 lbs with a book entitled “How to Lose Weight” with directions inside stating simply “Don’t eat.”

Um, WHAT? In my mind that is absolutely disgusting. Not funny at all. (Was it meant to be?)

I commented on her blog with my reaction, but I didn’t want to stop there. I started to get agitated, and then I got angry. This definitely required a blog post.

I grew up playing with Barbie. I also grew up playing with cars in the dirt. I flopped between tomboy and regular girl, comfortable in both spheres. I’m still that way. I never, ever gave a second thought to what Barbie looked like and if I should try to imitate her size. You know what made me doubt my image?

Television.

Here’s a challenge for you. Sit down and watch just one hour of TV. Count all of the commercials geared toward women and see how many compare to those that are just general advertisements. You want some extra credit? Take a look at how men are portrayed in most commercials compared to women.

Who wants wrinkles? Those unnatural little beasts. Look twenty when you’re really seventy-five!

Guys will love you more if you have longer, fuller eyelashes.

Hate your muffin top? Don’t bother buying new jeans that ACTUALLY fit! All you need is bone crushing spanks. Bonus points if they’re so tight you lose your appetite!

I mean, REALLY. How ridiculous does that sound when you think about it? And I’m not bashing on makeup or creams or shapers (goodness knows I could use that last one). And I’m definitely not bashing on Myndi’s post, because it’s beautiful and wonderful and perfect. (Seriously, go read it. And take part in her little picture submission thing.)

What I’m bashing on is television.

It’s unfortunate, but kids learn a lot from TV and movies. I know I did. I was lucky enough, though, that my parents instilled a lot of good qualities and morals in me. I could watch R-rated movies and not bat an eye. They never affected me because I knew that was not reality and that I wasn’t allowed to do those things (ie. sex, drugs, swearing, violently murdering the cat, etc., etc.).

No wonder girls these days have a complex. Our society is obsessed with body image. And it hurts everyone. It hurts the girl, physically. It hurts the parents when they think they did something wrong. It hurts the little sister that wants to emulate her older sibling. It hurts the husband who can’t help his wife. It hurts the daughter who thinks that living an obsessive lifestyle is normal.

But this goes way beyond just us girls and our body image. I often find myself being surprised when a married couple has a healthy relationship with their spouse. That’s such a sad reaction, in my eyes. Yes, divorce rates are through the roof right now, but why should we assume that all relationships are terrible? Oh, that’s right. We have things like The Bachelor and Jersey Shore to show us what “real” relationships are like. Kids, teens, and young adults (and unfortunately some “mature” adults) think these situations are real or normal. If they become accustomed to that way of thinking, they’re going to start to emulate it whether they realize it or not.

Isn’t it time we took the garbage off the air? I think it has had its fifteen minutes of fame.

I had a teacher in high school who had a sticker on the front of his desk that read, “Kill Your TV.” One day he explained why he had it. He said that he was walking through the mall with his young son when he saw a friend of his – a Muslim friend. The guy was dressed traditionally and was wearing a turban. They chatted for a few minutes and then parted ways. My teacher’s son tugged on his father’s shirt sleeve and said:

“Daddy, airplanes.”

Yes. Go kill your TV.

A Rose By Any Other Name…

… would smell as sweet… – Juliet

Yeah, but calling it a weed wouldn’t really make it sound the same, would it?

What I’m trying to say is that names are important – especially to writers. Why do you think so many of us struggle with how we want to display ours (ie. J.K. Rowling) or if we want to use a pseudonym (ie. Lemony Snicket).

I’ve struggled with both of these ideas. It’s no secret to my family and friends that I’m not a huge fan of my first name…but I’m trying to change that! I‘ve always wanted to write under a pseudonym, but I also don’t want to hide behind a false identity. I want everyone to know that it’s me and that I’ve made my dreams come true.

So, to convince myself (and because it’s interesting), here are some cool things about the name Karen.

Meaning: Pure

Origin: Scandinavian (although I’m usually accustomed to seeing German or Danish here, instead)

Derivative of: Katherine

Did you know names have their own day? November 25^th is the name day for Karen. Oddly enough, I was born on November 15^th! Weird.

Here are some famous Karen’s:

 

Karen Carpenter – Singer

I always joke around that I was named after her or that I am related to her because my mother’s maiden name is Carpenter. But, alas, no such luck.

Karen Gillan – Actress on Dr. Who

I’ve never seen this show but it sounds really interesting. I’m also envious of anyone who has red hair, so kudos to her.

Karen Davies – Golfer

She wasn’t super famous, but she did win the Welsh Girls Championship in 1980 and 1982.

Karen Cartwright – Smash

Okay, so this is a character in a show…but it counts!! Karen is a Broadway star just waiting to get her chance to shine.

Karen Marley – Interior Designer/Hair Stylist

Daughter to Bob Marley – things don’t really get much better than that.

I’ve also met a lot of name-twins on Twitter. These are all writers, so feel free to follow them!!

@KarenDales – Karen Dales

@K_Einsel – Karen Einsel

@KLLaing – Karen Laing

@ImAQuirkyGurl – Karen Fowler

@KarenDeLabar – Karen DeLabar

How do you guys feel about your name? Do you have any interesting facts about it?

ROW80 – R1C10

Hey, everyone! Hope you’re all having a fabulous Sunday. I’ve got some cool updates at the bottom of this post (and another question), but I’ll get into the main stuff now:

1. Go to Writer’s Market.com at least three times a week. Incomplete. I did this last Sunday and then didn’t touch it again. I plan on doing some more today and hoping that next week turns out better for this particular goal.
2. Write at least four days a week. Incomplete. I was having such a terrible time trying to write this week (more about that down at the bottom). I did end up doing quite a bit yesterday, though. I wrote a piece of flash fiction that was about 600 words long. You can check it out here. I also added another 900 words to one of my short stories and got through another major scene. I have one scene left and then that one will be done! I should be able to get to that today. I wrote a total of 1,504 words this week, which brings up my word count from January 1^st to 40,141.
3. Exercise five days a week. Incomplete. I literally exercised once this week and only for 15 minutes. I know I should feel guilty, but…I don’t. Well, I do a little bit. But next week is a new week and I’ve already promised myself that I would do better.
4. Read every day. Done. Easy peasy, like usual. I’m still reading Tiger’s Voyage and it’s driving me up a wall right now. I’m just really over love triangles and sacrificing your relationship because you don’t think it’s good for the other person (when, in reality, it’s completely fine). But, I think by the end of this book we’ll have a solid resolution that will – hopefully – carry throughout the remaining two books, and we won’t have any more drama.
5. Blog at least three times a week, not including my ROW80 updates. Done! I even blogged four times already, which is pretty incredible. I’m also having a much easier time coming up with ideas and actually writing up the rough drafts for the posts. That’s called being prepared! For a life-long procrastinator, I’d say it’s a miracle.

If you missed my question from last week, please check it out. I’d still like to know your opinion if you haven’t given me one yet.

I also have a new page on my blog that you can check out here. It details the various projects I’m working on and just sort of keeps you up to date with my progress, in case you’re interested.

Also, I may have some super awesome news to share come March 12^th, but I’m not saying anything right now because I don’t want to get my hopes up! You’ll all just have to suffer with curiosity until then. (And NO, it’s not a book deal, LOL)

My new question is this: How do you know when to give up on a project?

My first ever completed novel is codename D1. I love this novel because I worked so hard on it and it means a lot to me, especially since it’s the first major story I ever finished. However, as I’m working on D2, I’m beginning to see giant holes in D1 that need to be fixed. I mean, gaping-swirling-vortexes-of-doom holes. It’s not that I never want to come back to this project, but I’m also itching to edit my second completed novel (L1). But then I just feel like maybe this is me being afraid of succeeding and not wanting to get to the point where I’m actually sending out queries and asking agents to read my work. I know that’s a question I need to answer myself, but I’d like any opinion you guys can offer.

This is why I’ve been having trouble writing lately. I’m sort of caught between, “Should I just buckle down and re-edit the book, since it’s mostly done anyway?” and “Should I edit L1 and try to get that [less complex, possibly more relatable] book out into the world?”

Thoughts?

Prompt: Shuffle and Write

Hey, guys! I know I don’t usually post on Saturdays, but I figured I’d do something a wee bit different. I saw Chuck Wendig’s flash fiction challenge and decided to give it a go. The challenge is to hit shuffle on your favorite music player, then take the title of the song and use it as the title of your story. It’s up to you if you want to use the actual song as inspiration, too. No more than 1000 words.

So, let’s see how it goes. Maybe I’ll post some more stuff as it comes to me. Tell me what you think. (Sorry, it’s a little depressing.)

I got “Say Anything” by Good Charlotte. You can listen to it here.

Say Anything

Ring. Ring. Ring.

I sat on the floor of the living room and leaned against the wall, closing my eyes. The walls were too bright, too white. I contemplated painting them black. But Julia wouldn’t like that if – when – she moved back in.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

I heard the microwave ding, but I didn’t bother going to get today’s sore excuse for lunch. I wasn’t hungry. Eating was a habit and nothing more. Just like living.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

A crackle on the other end. The ringing stopped. My head snapped up and I held my breath.

“I told you to stop calling me, Billy.”

“You picked up.” I tried to control the awe, doubt, and wonder that had crept into my voice.

She didn’t speak. I could hear muted voices in the background, the clinking of dishes, the muffled sound of a TV.

“Julia,” I breathed. I knew she’d catch the hint of a smile in my voice, but I didn’t care. There was so much I wanted to say, but I couldn’t articulate any of it. “Julia.”

“What do you want?”

“To talk.”

“I’m done talking. I told you that last week.” The sounds faded from the background and I heard the click of a door, followed by the squeak of a bed as she sat down on it.

I swallowed the softball-sized lump that had suddenly risen in my throat. I ignored the pain it caused. I tried to ignore the anger, too, but that one was a little harder.

“We’ll never get through this if we don’t talk about it.” My clenched teeth made the words sound strangled and helpless.

There was no noise from the other end. I checked the face of my phone to make sure we were still connected. We were. Thank God.

“We used to be best friends, you know,” I said.

“We used to be.” The hint of sadness in her voice brought tears to my eyes, but I could tell it didn’t mean anything to her anymore. I didn’t mean anything to her anymore.

“Please, Julia. Please don’t leave. We can get through this, just like we did before.”

“How many times are we going to do this before we realize that it’s not going to work?”

“As many times as it takes to realize it will,” I snapped. Deep breath, I told myself. “Relationships are hard. You have to put a lot of work into them.”

“I have, Billy. I’ve put a lot of work into our relationship, but sometimes you have to know when to call it quits.”

“So, you’re giving up then?”

“No,” she said. She paused, and I could tell she was trying to come up with the right words for what she wanted to say next. My gut clenched. “No, this is me moving on. For our sake, I’m moving on.”

“Julia, please,” I begged. “Please, don’t say that. I love you. You know that, right? I love you so much. Please don’t talk like that. I’ll do whatever it takes. Just don’t give up on us. Please.”

Silence. The kind that roars in your ears and makes it feel like the world is imploding. The kind that makes you realize that nothing is going to change and that there’s no point in trying any more. No point in trying at all.

“Say something, Julia,” I whispered. I felt my heart ripping in desperation.

A sigh. “What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know. Anything. Just say anything.”

Guest Post for Jessica O’Neal

Hey, guys! I’m over at Jessica O’Neal’s blog today telling you who my favorite female artists are. Head on over there to check it out! I’ll be hanging around and answering questions in the evening, so don’t be afraid to ask ‘em!

Hope you enjoy it, and a HUGE thanks to Jessica for inviting me to post for her.