Tuesday, September 23, 2008

September season....

I'm loving September and not wanting to to end. I have been doing more writing and am pleased with that. But I have struggled as I don't have a real office and seem to move
around from place to place in the house...always gathering up my material. Workmen are putting in sewer pipes around where we live and by next summer we should be connected. It's been one of those things that we always heard would materialize but didn't think really would.

However it has and I went upstairs to the bedroom my son who is in Israel used to use. I thought I could write and watch the "action" of the sewer people from there. Since Ethan is in Israel, I think I will be using it for writing this fall. There's a desk, a comfortable chair and stool, and big windows that give a great view. The scenery should inspire me to great thoughts. In the short time I have worked there today, I was really inspired and decided to work on all three writing projects that I had before me. I have to say that I have also swum in the lake yesterday and today since I know soon it will be too late. It was great once I was in.

Friday, September 19, 2008

A Possibility....

Possibilities are always fun! But I have to remember that is what it is....a possibility. An article
that I had written and submitted for a future anthology was edited and returned to me for suggestions and thoughts. I just read it over and affixed my notes and then clicked send. Now it is up to the editor and .....time. I made a few suggestions and then said she could decide ....because after all she is the editor. It's strange as rereading it I found a number of places that I would like to "improve" but whether an editor would consider those improvements or not I'm not sure. And whatever happens, time has to pass and the publisher has to narrow the book down and put its okay on the articles so I won't know for a while.

But that is why writers are told to have a number of projects going at once. I actually do have....it's just that now I can actually turn my attention to those and put this on the backburner. Nothing else I can do for the foreseeable future. That's nice in a way.

John (my husband) is busy working on the front matter of his book. He gave it to me to peruse.
Interesting as I had never thought much about that. Yet all books have them and a lot of time and effort go into it.

Okay onto my next project!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Reading it!

Suppsedly reading a book doesn't have all that much to do with writing. But I did just buy the book "The Shack" which I heard vaguely was on the NY Times bestseller list. I don't always keep up with that.... so I'm taking someone's word for it. But even here in Montrose I have friends who have read it and want to read it so we can "talk about it." My daughter said for me to buy it and then send it to her as she wants to read it so I did! The connection to writing is that I have heard it started out as a self-published book. My husband is planning to self-publish his book hopefully by the end of this year or the beginning of next year. There are more and more of those but, of course, few make it to the NY Times best seller list. One of the reasons John wants to self publish is that he is very picky. He would like this particular book done in certain ways because he is joining genres together ....he calls his book sci-fo because he has a realistic fiction story wrapped around stories that are science fiction and folklore. That would cause problems with publishers most likely. I think it's best because he will be happy with it and get it out there for longer than the ten month shelf life that most publishers give their books (from what I heard and that's all I know.) Anyway I will read The Shack next (I'm in the middle of another book) and MAYBE I'll post whether I like it or not. You'll have to check back to find out:)

Tomorrow and this does not have to do with driving but we are celebrating my husband's birthday and I am hoping it is a beautiful day for a drive. We rarely go too far in the gorgeous fall PA countryside so tomorrow is a day to go for a drive to Laceyville and Tunkhannock having lunch somewhere on the way. John said we would "see PA" when we retired but so far we've seen more of far-away places. This will be a first just to go sight-seeing around home.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Satisfaction!

Today our church which meets at a Bible conference met for the first time on its NEW property.
It worked out as well as it could. The rain stopped at just the right time. The land is absolutely beautiful and it was so exciting to picture all the possibilities for our congregation. It was a wonderful day of praise and worship and then a message about what we have to offer....JESUS!
This was pretty needed since Susquehanna County is in the middle of an explosion of companies seeking to lease land since a huge abundance of natural gas is here. With so many people (friends of ours) expecting to get pretty wealthy, it was good to be brought back to basics. Especially since there has not been much employment for people around here and this will bring in employment. Anyway our focus was put back on the Lord and you couldn't help but acknowledge Him in that setting. Afterwards we had a fantastic potluck lunch with hot dogs provided. Lots to be praying about and to be thankful for!

Now to writing. I'm supposed to keep to my blog subject ....I just sent in my revision of the article that I mailed in last week. I'm assuming if it is not satisfactory, I will get it returned to me very shortly. But if they decide to deliberate, it could be December before I will know anything for sure. But it was fun to work on it and improve it and finally send it in. A deadline always helps. I want to set some goals for this week as other friends who seem to accomplish a great deal in their writing tell me it is because they set goals and then accomplish them. I will set some small ones for this week but I will have goals....hopefully some short-term ones and some long term ones!

Thursday, September 4, 2008

A Great week!

This has really been the best week of the summer weather-wise. Summer people have left the lake but quite a few are still here. It's in the 80's, sunny and warm but not humid and actually
perfect. So I've had a little conflict. Do the writing I promised myself or spend time outside? Add to that the convention on television. I've compomised. I have been swimming an hour almost every day this week. And John and I are reading a book together out loud so we have done that sitting by the lake. We actually had to go to the "big city" (Vestal, NY) yesterday but we raced through our errands so we could get back and spend time in the out-of-doors. Supposedly one more pretty day and then Hurricane Hanna will bring rain up our way.

Yesterday I got a rejection for an article I had emailed back in 2007 so it was nice just to hear one way or the other. I said that I would mention the article I emailed in yesterday's blog. The editor said it had potential and has given me till Monday to improve it and email it back so we shall see. I also wrote another article and emailed it in also .....but today I just worked around the house. Lots to catch up on. But tomorrow I hope to get back to writing. All in all it's been such a great week between the weather and the writing that I wish it wasn't Friday already..