Jen FitzGerald's Blog, page 127

No rest for the wicked or the weary...

It's been one thing after another since Christmas and there are still a few more weeks until things start to settle down. Well, I hope they settle down, because I don't relish going at this pace indefinitely.

What I mean to say is that I hope nothing else happens in the next month. If I can get through the next 30 days or so without illnesses and injuries or any other type of crises, then I'll be a happy camper.

The thing that's been stressing me out and keeping me busy is a published works contest sponsored by my writing group.... I'm the contest coordinator. In charge of the whole she-bang. I gotta admit, I'm getting nervous.

Entry-wise, I'm not overly worried. We've made money. Next year will be better. Since this contest is brand new and we decided on reader judges, we've (I've) had to recruit judges from scratch--we don't have a list of judges from previous years to rely on.  I'm freaking out that we won't have enough once the contest closes.





So here's the pitch...if you're interested and/or know someone who might be, please pass the word, copy & paste, whatever. Thanks!

Love to read ROMANCE? Want FREE BOOKS?

If you said yes to both questions, the please consider signing up to judge in The Carolyn Readers Choice Award contest.

The North Texas chapter of Romance Writers of America is looking for close to 400 romance readers to help choose winners in nine romance sub-categories. To be eligible, you must be 18 years of age or older and not affiliated with the publishing industry in any way, to include being an aspiring author.

Judging involves reading the first 30 pages of up to six books and filling out an online score sheet. The books are yours to keep and read as a thank you. And you might just find your new favorite author!

Contest closes for entries on Feb. 14 and judging panels will be emailed out during the following few days. Judging deadline is March 14th.

For more information and to sign up, visit http://www.ntrwa.org/thecarolyn/the.carolyn.judge.info.htm. If you have any further questions, contact Jen FitzGerald, the contest coordinator at carolyn.award@ntrwa.org.

Please feel free to forward the opportunity to any family, friends, or book club and reader groups who you think might be interested.

Thanks so much.

Jen FitzGerald
The Carolyn Readers Choice Award contest coordinator
North Texas RWA
www.ntrwa.org

Bolero!

So this post topic has been niggling at me for a while now, so here it finally is...


Who remembers the 1984 Winter Olympics, specifically the Pairs Ice Skating event. Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean performed their free-style program to a specially adapted version of Maurice Ravel's Boléro and took home the gold. If winning gold wasn't enough, they earned the highest marks ever for figure skaters in a single performance, garnering all sixes for artistic impression. A record that still holds as of this post.

I was 13 1/2 at the time of the '84 Winter Olympics and this performance is one of the few TV moments I actually really remember from my childhood.

If you're so inclined to re-watch an amazing moment in history...


The actual impetus for this post happened last year. I was on my way home from a friend's house one evening and had the classical station on. The station was airing a simulcast from Berlin and halfway home, Bolero began to pour forth from my speakers. I turned up the volume a bit to really enjoy the performance as well as the song itself. I even sat in the car in the driveway until the song finally wound to a close. The original composition lasts anywhere from 15 to 17 minutes.

The one thing I learned at the end of that performance that totally amazed me was this fact...

The song begins and ends with the snare drum and it continues throughout the entire song and by the time all is said and done, the snare drum player has performed over 10,000 beats! WOW!

Do you remember this performance when it originally aired?

Wow...

Well, on Friday night, I finally finished watching the last few episodes of China Beach.

What a ride!

When it first aired back in the very late '80s and early '90s, my ability to watch was hit or miss. My Brown Eyed Girl was a baby and I was busy with her. In fact, I finally realized I probably only caught an episode here and there from season two. But the few episodes I saw--and I do mean few. I only ever remembered the characters and a few scenes--left a huge impression on me all these years.

Just in case you have no clue, China Beach is TV show set at an evacuation hospital during the Vietnam War. The title refers to My Khe Beach in the city of Đà Nẵng, Vietnam, which was nicknamed "China Beach" in English by American and Australian soldiers during the Vietnam War.

So watching the whole series from start to finish was a very emotional experience, especially the last season as they fast forwarded to lives of the characters once they returned from Vietnam and gave us a glimpse of the issues they faced due to their service in Vietnam. The show was nominated for and won numerous awards.

I'm ready to start all over again. And I probably will... Life is gonna be crazy hectic for the next month. Rewatching will probably be my decompression method.

Anyone watch this show and love it as much as I did/do??

T.G.I.F.

Thank goodness it's Friday.

It's been a tough week and a tough month. Next month will be just as busy.

Am I ready? No.

Do I have a choice? No.

February, here I come...

New family member, Rayna, is settling in quite nicely. I thought she would miss her dad more, and if she saw him, she'd probably go crazy. I think the upgrade in her living conditions has made a difference in how she's handled the transition--she's not boxed up or sleeping 18 to 20 hours of the day. Yep... she was in her box when her dad was at work and since he works overnight, he'd sleep during the day, so Rayna was sleeping with him.

Here, while she is alone for many hours during the day, she's not boxed up and can roam the house. She's well behaved and doesn't tear stuff up and she has toys. She's allowed on Sonshine's bed as far as furniture goes, and there are a couple of dog beds for her use. Our yard is about three times the size of her previous yard, so she can run and play and chase away all my wildlife. And when we're home we pay attention to her, talk to her, and play with her.

But she's technically, DD's dog. DD was told that if we agreed to give Rayna a new home, she would go with DD when she moves out. DD agreed. So Rayna is really just a temporary house guest. But it's nice to have a critter in the house again.

There's music in my house again...

Sonshine was guilted into joining the Jazz Band and he's now trying his hand at the trombone. I don't think it was too difficult a task though. I think he missed the music even though there's symphonic band every day. Just a feeling I have.

Here he is practicing Monday night...


I'm not sure why he's playing the trombone over, say, the French horn--God's gift to band, according to him. But expanding one's repertoire isn't a bad thing either.

Back in middle school, he started playing the trumpet and then took a turn with the baritone.

In high school, he's played trumpet, baritone, mellophone (marching French Horn), the regular French horn, and now trombone. I think it's great he can play proficiently on so many brass instruments. What's next--the sousaphone?? Don't laugh, he's talked about it!

Christmas Band Concert, Jazz Band, December 2012

Warming up for the Tarleton Jazz Fest, March 2011
Playing mellophone, football game, October 2013
Playing baritone at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas, May 2012
I wish I was musically inclined...

What about you? Ever played an instrument?

So what the heck else is gong with Jen?

Well, she's knee deep in writing group business. The beginning of the year means the changing of the guard--out with the previous board members, in with the newly elected. Sometimes it's just a shuffle from one position to the next. We lose one or two, gain one or two and everyone else just trades hats.

I love serving my writing group, I really do. I love going to meetings and hanging out with my writer peeps. Writing group day is my one day when I let all my other cares go. I'm gone the whole day, first to meeting, then to hang out with critique partners and other invited friends. I ride with a friend so we have extra time to visit.

This past Saturday was the changing of the guard meeting. My friend, chapter mate, and faithful blog reader Lara was kind enough to open her home to us gaggle of women to get our group on the road to 2014 success. (Thanks, Lara!)

In other news, the yard is frozen. It hasn't had any work done to it in a good month and it needs a pick-me-up pretty bad. On the other hand, it's not the worst it's ever been, so I'm not fretting it too much. There's just been something going on for the last several weeks and when there wasn't, it was just too dang cold to go out.

I spent a couple of weeks on hubby alert. He got a bad case of that flu going around and was laid up at home for a few days. Then, from all the coughing, he ended up with a level three tear in his abdominal wall. If it had been any worse, he'd have had to have surgery to re-attach stuff. Yikes. Until this past Friday, he hasn't driven since when he has to cough, he likes to hunch over to cause the least amount of tug on his belly muscles.

My schedule's been wonky because of DH being sick, and on top of that, the water pump on DD's truck bit the big one, so we were out a vehicle for two weeks. It took a bit longer because we had DD's friend fix it rather than pay a dealership the thousand dollars they quotes us. Instead, we shelled out about $150 in parts and adopted a dog.

This is Rayna...


 

Her daddy (the friend that fixed DD's truck) lives at home with his parents, as does his sister who has a toddler and a new baby. His parents have been after him to get rid of her because they're worried that she might hurt one or the other of the little ones--not out of aggression, but because she's protective. So we agreed to take her. We babysat her last week and it's going to be a tough adjustment for her. She loves her daddy. I'm thinking she's gonna have to bond with Sonshine. Also, I think I'm going to have to take her to work with me. I don't know that leaving her in a strange house by herself right off the bat is a good idea either. I'll keep you posted.

And last but not least is my continued lack of weight loss. I'm back up around 140lbs, though I haven't gone over but a blip and only once. All the sickies and injuries and crazy schedules and just stuff have conspired to keep me off kilter and seeking comfort in not-so-great food choices. Okay, they're not super bad, it's just that I think I'm eating more that I should be and not drinking enough water. That's gonna end very soon. DH is ready to make healthier choices too.

Well, I think I've gabbed your ear (or eyes?) off enough for today, so I'll sign off.

Hope things are cruising along much better in your neighborhood.

I really hadn't planned to talk about writing yet again...

I had planned to talk about my weight loss and lack thereof or the rest of what's going on in my life, but I had a bit of an AHA moment the other day and so here I am.

I think I've discovered one of the reasons why I haven't finished a book or made much headway towards becoming a published romance author...

I get discouraged too easily and--here's the nasty kicker--I think I've been too lazy to do the hard work to figure out and fix the things that are wrong with my writing.

Yep, I put that out there.


So what am I going to do about it?

Good question. Even though I've taken breaks from writing, I always end up back to piddling with it. Is it because I really want to achieve the goal? Is it because I like the idea of touting myself as an aspiring romance author? Is it because... Well, it could be anything.

The real question is, to quote Tim McGraw: How bad do you want it?



Am I ready and willing and ready and willing and ready and willing to put in the time, do the reading and the research and then the revisions to finish a book, however long it ends up being?

That's a good question. I really want to say yes. But...there's so much going on right now. So much I want to do. Need to do. Have no control over.

But how bad do I want to be published and what am I willing to sacrifice to make it happen one way or another?

The thing is, I want somewhat of a balanced life. I don't want to be a slave to the reading and the research and the revisions either. So I suppose the real decision is not am I ready and willing, but when can I make it happen?

This week, this month? Next? In a couple of months?

I think I need to add a few things to my strategic plan...

My strategic plan for my writing career...

Well, I don't really have one.

My friend Regina does. She's good like that.

So I got to thinking...should I have one too? Probably.

My strategic plan, at this point, is to publish a few more Romance Writer's Guide Books this year. The second one went live last week.


As far as fiction goes, the plan is to stop flitting from project to project and finish one of them. I had some inspiration on a particular one last week, so that's the one I'm working on now. It's going to be short...10,000ish words, give or take.

I think I do better with deadlines. Have it done and submitted or else you don't get included or accepted or whatever the consequence is. Right now, there's no deadline. But even if I gave myself one, there's no consequence.

I thought maybe if I had a reward, that would work, though. If I complete the manuscript by XYZ date I get... WHAT? I don't know. I have pretty much everything I want. I can buy the things I need.

But no matter. I'm determined to make myself finish. Once I finish one, I think it'll be easier to finish the next one and the next, too. Someone once suggested I don't finish because I'm afraid to. Afraid of what's next. Of success. Afraid of...whatever. I think there's something to that, though I'm not exactly sure what it is I'm afraid of. I haven't stopped to contemplate, though it might help me get over it if I know what IT is.

Anyway, my deadline for completing the first draft of this particular book is February 9th. In order to reach it, I have to write at least 250 words a day. That's a doable goal.

Once the book's done, I'll put it aside for a week. Well, it may end up being more than that as an event I'm in charge of will be coming to a head at that point in time.

After that week or two or three, I'll re-read, fix any errors that now present themselves, and do some revising.

And then...off to the critique partners. More waiting. Then more fixing and revising as called for.

In the meantime, I'll be thinking about and having a cover created. Oh--and I'll need a title somewhere along the line--definitely need it before the cover art. Right now this book being referred to by the heroine and hero's names.

But I've gone off topic.

The strategic plan. Finish a dang book and publish it.

Then do it again and again.

Learn about how to utilize social media platforms to my benefit.

Lather, rinse and repeat.

That's the basic version. Thanks for letting me come up with it on the fly.

Is there anything I'm missing?

The Lure of Social Media

As an aspiring author, I've avoided the whole gotta be on social media hype. Had no interest in it, didn't care much, had no desire to spend hours and hours participating in online platforms that didn't work for me and didn't feel comfortable with my personality. So I didn't.


I've written this blog since 2007. The first four years were hit and miss and then became a bit more diligent and regular about it. I like the platform.

I resisted Facebook for ages, but broke down mostly as way to be in regular contact with my half of the family, none of whom live here in Texas. I added a few close friends who are fellow authors, but I don't use it as a networking tool, and I don't have a fan page. I'm not sure about going that route at this point. Since I don't have a work of romance fiction out, I'm not overly worried about it.

I don't tweet. Don't think I'll ever tweet.

I've had a Goodreads account and generally keep track of the books I've read as well giving them a rating, although I've avoided reviews. I think I've written one or two for the over 200 books I've read and tracked via the site.

This past Saturday, the speaker at my writers group spoke to us about how to harness the power of Goodreads. Since I'm already on it and I don't have issues with it, I'm going to implement some of her suggestions immediately, some later. I'm not ready to jump in and get super active and social in groups. I've got enough on my plate at the moment. That'll have to wait a bit until life calms down. Although Murphy may move in and I won't be able to catch my breath until August.

Anyway, I'm trying to decide what and how much works best for me. Of course, if I never finish a fiction book, the point is mostly moot.

Are you active on Social Media? Select platforms? How much time do you spend per week?

The master spreadsheet of stuff...

In Wednesday's post, I mentioned a master spreadsheet of stuff. This is a real thing. Actually, I have several. One for general stuff, one for writing, and one for proofreading.

This particular spreadsheet helps me keep track of important information--like which flower arrangements I sent to which niece. I also track my weight. It's where I keep my master list of books and the list of my Fort Worth Friday features. (Remember those?) Looking at it now, I see a few tabs I could delete. Things I was keeping track of but no longer need to.



How do you keep track of stuff?