M.J. Fredrick's Blog, page 94

Goals for Spring Break

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This week:

1) Start a new romantic suspense

2) Finish Road Sign edits

3) 3 queries/3 synopses

4) Sew—I have 4 pieces of fabric, and Mom loaned me her old sewing machine. I'd like to make at least 2 skirts, though 2 pieces are for the same pattern (but different enough that you can't tell.)

5) Day of "summer preview" with Mom and BB—breakfast, shopping, some kind of day out

6) Work in my yard. This year I really need it, with all the...

The Alarm is OFF for the Week

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Not that I actually SLEEP until the alarm, but it's nice to know I won't have to worry about it for a week.
Did the boy's taxes last night--first time I've seen him since Sunday! We had dinner together and watched Up in the Air together and did taxes together. Aww. Won't see him today.
I hope to finish my short story today. I have the hero groveling scene left, but I can't always pull those off as well as I'd like. Regardless, I'm making my collage tonight...

Two More Days

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Yesterday was a very productive day. I got 6 pages written BEFORE school! I paid bills, went to work, got some papers graded despite the fact that we had a meeting during planning time. We were supposed to stay for a meeting after school too but I was dismissed. I was in my car before they could change their minds! Got home, went to the bank, went for a walk (OMG, am out of shape. I had my phone and a parent called to ask about her son and I was breathing...

Three More Days and Susan Gable's Workshop

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I have another workshop to recommend, Susan Gable's "You Say Tomato, I Say To-Motto." She talked about how each of your characters has a motto he or she lives by, one that affects all the decisions the character makes in the book. For example, she had a heroine whose motto was "Tighten your boot straps and keep going," so when she lost her child, she didn't allow herself to grieve. She had this motto because of her military dad, who wanted her to be tough...

Taxes DONE and Four More Days

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I did our taxes last night. The boy's college tuition saved us. Otherwise we would have had to pay, and I think we've only had to pay once. But they're done! So, whew.
Problem Child had a good day. What a blessing. I need to find a way to connect with him. I'm running out of time. 12 more weeks. I know today will be different...there's no telling one day to the next.
I caught up on my writing goals, so yay! Need to fit exercise and cleaning in there, though.
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This Weekend and Oscars

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I wish the Oscars had been NEXT weekend. I was up until almost midnight, then awake by 5. Oops.
I got my haircut this weekend (turns out it looks just like Maggie Gyllenhall's. WAY shorter than I wanted) and caught up on my word count for the short story. Only about 4 scenes to go. I want to be done by Friday so I can start a new book over Spring Break. We went to my MIL's for about half an hour--we forgot garbage bags. We should be mostly done by the end...

Goals for the Week Before Spring Break

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1) Finish the short story

2) Revisions on Road Signs

3) More revisions on different short story

4) Two more contest entries (due next Sunday)

5) Another faculty meeting

6) Taxes (yep, going to do it myself. Any screaming you hear from down south…)

7) Grocery store

8) MIL's house

9) Exercise (yeaahhhhh….)

10) Keep up house (also yeahhhhh…though it would be nice to start spring break with a clean house. If only someone ...

Survived

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Boy, was THAT a long week! Got the dog back, Problem Child was--well, I'm coming to the end of my rope with that one. He decided not to work on his test for about 2 hours on Wednesday, and only wrote half a page on the composition, only then after the principal stood near his desk. Yesterday he and 3 other boys were called to the office for 45 minutes for bullying another student. Today that student was near Problem Child every time I turned around. Sigh...

Not Getting Better

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Until last night, I hadn't seen my son since Sunday.
His dog ran away last night and it's my fault. I was so excited that it was a pretty day that I left the front door open, and, well...I didn't even notice she was gone until after dinner, and by then it had been 2 hours. We drove around for over an hour looking for her. The boy is putting up flyers in the neighborhood. I'm just scared she's going to get hit by a car. And no, she's not chipped or anything...

Monday

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Boy, did yesterday eat my lunch. The kids were not bad, but everything else writing related--2 rejections within 7 minutes! And I didn't final in a contest I really thought I had a shot in. I came home and baked myself a cake--and though I left it in 15 minutes LESS time than the directions said, I burned it. And got discouraging news in the mail. AND I'd decided to wear sandals since it started out at 50 degrees and was going to get up to 65, only it was...