Archive for September, 2006

As I prepare myself to go the distance on the last remaining pages of my ms, I’ve hit some roadblocks that have me second guessing the journey from point A (where I am now) to point B (the end).

I’ve tried to write all day, and although I’ve made some progress (roughly 5 pages), it’s the teeth-pulling, jaw-scraping, what the hell am I doing?, kind of progress.

I needed a break, so I decided to open up my ‘first draft’ document. This was the document that I completed during that long ago fast draft exercise over at Romance Divas. I’ve pulled from it here and there during my second draft phase, but I stopped referring to it when I decided to go in a slightly different direction.

So, I scrolled down to just about the place I’m at in the story right now, and started reading. And I liked it. I liked the direction the story took off in, and now I’m starting to second guess the changes I made. If I decide to follow the original story, it wouldn’t require major rewriting….in fact, probably just some rewriting/tweaking of the last chapter (or two).

But, I can’t decide which is best. I’m telling myself to listen to my gut. Unfortunately, I’m just not sure exactly what my gut is trying to tell me. Darn it! Maybe talking it over with my husband later today will help me decide…he’s been my #1 brainstorming partner through this entire story and has really helped me create some exciting plot elements. Hopefully I can decide my direction and move on for tomorrow. I’d like to stick to my deadline.

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And, a quick house update, since I didn’t get to one yesterday. The first floor walls are done! I stopped by the lot on Friday and it was so great to see where the doors and windows are going to be. It’s definitely starting to take shape. Today my husband is working on the garage walls. And, soon, it will be time for the second floor! I can’t wait!

Where has the beginning of the week gone? Ugh. Okay, now I’m beginning to feel stressed. I had so much I wanted to accomplish this week, and so far, I haven’t come close to doing it. I helped out in Daredevil’s kindergarten class this morning, and will again, tomorrow, because they are going on a field trip to the apple orchard. So, that has wiped out two of my mornings where I’d hoped to get some quiet writing time in.

It’s time for me to take a deep breath. I really want to finish this ms (rough–not polished) by the end of the month, which gives me, what, about two more weeks? To do it, I’ll have to dig deep–really deep–and just write. Don’t overanalyze, don’t freak out, just write. Whew. Easier said than done. Especially since I’m wrestling with one particular issue: I know exactly where I need to go, but I’m having trouble getting it on the page.

Time to muddle through it, I guess, but boy do I hate that “muddling” feeling.

I brought my camera with me yesterday when I went out to our house-in-progress. (Who hoo! I love saying that!)

The first floor is down:

What a thrill to see my ratty gym shoes STANDING on the first floor of our house! I’ve got a floor! I can picture where my kitchen is going to be and my living room. It’s beyond cool.

And here’s my husband, sporting the concrete grunge look in front of the first of our ‘first floor’ walls (and yes, he’ll probably kill me for posting this! )

The first floor walls are aerated concrete blocks, which are an awesome insulator as well as fire retardent. We’re planning on going with some sort of stucco type interior/exterior or something similar.

And, this last picture, is a hint of the view we’ll have from our master bedroom.

This picture doesn’t do it justice…not only because a storm was moving in, but also because I couldn’t get high enough on the small ladder to equate where our second story bedroom windows will be. But, once the second floor is done, we’ll have a gorgeous view of the mountains in the background, much to the dismay of the neighbors behind us (see the chimney sticking up on the left hand side) who we will most likely tower over. And yes, we will enjoy flaunting it.