Writing has now REPLACED exercise

Remember my last post where I explained how writing is like exercising? If not, you can read it below this one or by clicking HERE. Well, now writing has literally taken the place of exercising for me. At least, some of the time.

And considering I'm supposed to be running a half marathon again in a few weeks, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. Heh.

Anyway, SHH has started leaving for work super early in the morning, which means I can't go to my early morning classes at the gym anymore. And every day I keep thinking, I should get up and write if I can't go work out. Think about how much happier I'll be if I get some writing done BEFORE the kids get up. Otherwise, all my ideas for this new book swirl around in my head all morning, distracting me from being the best mom I can be, because all I want to do is go WRITE IT ALL DOWN.

So today, after Baby Girl woke me up at 6:20 to nurse, I got her back to sleep and then I stayed up. I got out my laptop and ipod and I wrote. Five shiny new pages by 7:20 am. I'm pretty excited about it! So maybe this will be my new morning workout--for my brain and fingers, instead of my heart and muscles.

And hopefully I can sneak in some REAL exercise, too, because let's face it, I need it for my mental AND physical health. And also those 13.1 miles I'm supposed to be running at the end of the month. Oh dear.

Monday Motivation

NaNoWriMo. (National Novel Writing Month.)

I haven't ever done it before. I'm a pretty fast writer, so I've honestly never felt the need to try and force myself to get a book done in a month. When inspiration hits, I can whip out a book in 4-5 weeks. Not always, but sometimes.

But this time, I decided to bite the bullet and do it. Why? Because I'm in a bit of a slump. I have a new idea, but I'm having a hard time making myself find the time to write. Maybe it's because SHH is traveling so much, so I don't have help with the kids at night so I can write like I used to. And by the time I get them all to bed and could write, I am so worn out emotionally and physically from not getting a break, I can barely find the energy and motivation to get myself ready for bed and try to read a book, let alone write one.

But, my goal is for this to be a career. So I'm treating it like one, and making myself put in the time. Signing up for NaNo was my way of trying to get myself to do it this month. I got off to a good start, but had a crazy weekend and now I'm behind. I'll keep going though, and hopefully I'll at least hit the 50k, if not finish the entire novel.

How about you? Are you doing NaNo? How do you make yourself stay motivated and moving forward when you're overwhelmed and exhausted?

And... DONE!

Whoa. It's been an intense couple of weeks. SHH started traveling for work again (rather suddenly), so I had to start flying solo with all three kids day and night before I knew it. I had this major revision I needed to get done for my agent, I had to try and figure out how to go running without SHH there to help with the kids (his mom came over and watched them so I could go once), and yeah. Just busy, busy, busy.

I didn't get much sleep, but I did get my revision done last Thursday. YAY! That was such a big relief and weight off my chest. Of course, now I'm sick, so I may be wearing myself out a little bit, but oh well. What can you do?

That's the thing, when you want something bad enough, you make sacrifices. You endure, and fight, and keep going. Whether it be running a hard race, writing your book (or revising it as the case may be), or any other goal you have. Life doesn't get any easier, nor does time just magically appear so you can "finally get around" to that thing you've been wanting to do. For me right now, I'm trying to keep balance in my life. I am cherishing my baby girl and my boys as much as possible, because I don't want to have any regrets when they get older. So that means sacrificing sleep to pursue my goals - staying up late to write and getting up early to run (when SHH is here anyway). Normally I would keep working on a new book or some other writing project after finishing one project, but this time, I think I might take a break for a week and enjoy an extra couple hours of sleep--or time cuddling Baby Girl. :)

How about you, what do you sacrifice to meet your goals? What have you been doing these last couple of weeks?

Summer is drawing to a close...

If you wonder where I've been, here's a snapshot...

Cherishing my time with this little one. (Or trying to anyway, in between the hectic life of taking care of two young boys and my house and the revision I'm trying to work on for my agent and the half marathon I'm training for [which I signed up for in October in an apparent moment if insanity, but I'm excited to accomplish something that hard], and yeah. Oh, and SHH just found out he's going to be traveling for work again a whole bunch. Yikes. Busy much? Oh my. So if I'm still sporadic with blogging for a while, you'll know why. I am reading your blogs as much as I can, I just don't have any extra time to comment very often, so I apologize for that. But I honestly don't know how I'm going to do it all and still be the kind of mom I want to be. I'm just taking it one day at a time.

However I did sneak out for Kiersten White's signing for SUPERNATURALLY--another NY Times Bestseller! Woohoo! Congrats Kiersten, I'm so happy for you.

So what are you doing these last few weeks of summer?

One day more

Only one more day until we meet our little girl! Because of my low blood pressure issues, I am being induced tomorrow morning (if she doesn't decide to surprise us in the next few hours, that is). I. Can't. Wait.

Yes, I know this means I am going to be having sleepless nights. But at least they'll be sleepless because I'm taking care of my baby instead of being woken up by acid reflux, or my heart racing because my BP is dropping again.

Yes, I know it means taking care of three kids, which is going to be an adjustment. But at least I will be able to walk around, and run and jump and play and drive a car and do anything I want to instead of being stuck in bed all day and night.

Yes, I know it means my writing time will become even harder to find. But at least I know I've made it work in the past with a newborn and I know I can and will make it work again.

I am beyond thrilled to NOT be pregnant, to NOT be on bed rest, and to hold my baby girl in my arms. Wish us luck!

What are your big plans this week?

(and p.s. anyone know how to make blogger give me back my followers widget thingy? It's been missing for a couple of weeks now...)

Friday Five

1. I'm just over 40k into my new WIP. It's an interesting place to be--I am excited to be that far, but also wishing I were further. (As in DONE.) Yes, for those of you wondering (or who know), I am able to write fast. But honestly, I almost have to. If I don't, it seems like my idea(s) start to drift off and I can't get them back. I have to get the words and plots out as fast as I can so they don't disappear on me. Also, I start to doubt myself when it takes longer. For some reason, even though I'm super excited about this idea, and I want and need to get it done, sometimes I just have a hard time concentrating. I didn't have that problem the last time I was pregnant. But maybe since I'm having a girl this time, she's making my brain react differently. Who knows.

2. Sometimes recently, I lose my train of thought. Or worse, I forget major events. Like SonA's parent-teacher conferences. Yeah, my appointment was at 4. I remembered when I saw a flashing light on my phone around 4:30, checked my phone, and saw the reminder on my calendar. Thankfully she still squeezed us in, but seriously! What is my problem? I've never been this spacey in my life. I think we sacrifice more than our bodies when we have babies. Just sayin'. The good news is that he is doing awesome, even if I'm losing my mind. He doesn't always do his "centers" apparently (the kid does have a pretty short attention span sometimes), but he scored above average or well above average (aka off the chart) on all of his tests. Way to go, buddy!

3. I'm taking SonA skiing for the first time today. And by "taking him skiing," I mean enrolling him in ski school while I sit and watch, since pregnancy + skiing = no bueno. I'm taking the laptop in hopes of getting some good #amwriting time in. Hopefully the beautiful mountains will be the perfect setting to help me focus. Except I have this feeling I'm going to want to watch his attempts to ski the whole time. So we'll see...

4. In case you were wondering, my (early) birthday dinner at Benihana was Ah-MAZE-ing. Yummy, yum, yum. I could eat there every night. Or at least once a week. Okay, once a month?

Please??

Ready to start gorging ourselves on a plethora of amazing food.

5. I have a lot of books calling my name right now, begging to be read. I want to read them. I yearn to read them. But remember #1? Yeah, I have got to stop getting distracted!



What's on your mind today?

Friday Five

1. This pregnancy has been giving me migraines. I've never had them consistently before. Random ones, maybe once every year or two, yes. Migraines almost every day? Not so much. And unfortunately, being on the computer is one of the triggers. Because of this, I have had to limit how much time I spend on the computer. Since I'm a writer I have to spend at least a few hours on it every day to write (although some days it just hurts too much and I can't). Why am I sharing this with you? Because unfortunately it means I have to severely limit my internet time, which means I haven't been able to keep on everyone's blogs like I'd hope to. Sometimes I read and just don't comment so I can get through them faster (before the headache hits). Please know that I am trying to read, and I still care about you all A LOT, but if I don't comment as much (and if you've noticed that I haven't been for the last few weeks), that is why. I hope this migraine thing is just a phase and will pass, but we'll see. At least I know there is a for sure deadline this summer...


2. Migraines suck. I have much more empathy for SHH who used to get chronic migraines. (He's since learned what his triggers are and rarely gets them now, hurray!)


3. The Liar Society (which just got released!!) is totally made of awesome and so are the authors (Lisa and Laura Roecker). If you've been living under a rock and haven't heard of it (or them), be sure and check back on Monday for a totally hysterical vlog interview they did for my blog. Trust me when I tell you that you don't want to miss it. There's one part in particular when one of them (I won't say who, you'll have to watch to find out) makes the most hysterical mistake. I laughed so hard I may have snorted. And so did they. Luckily for me, I wasn't on video when I did--but they were. Make sure and tune in!


4. I'm still in love with my new WIP, and I'm hoping to finish it by the end of the month. That would normally be an easy goal for me, but with the migraines, the sick kids, the local play I (and my whole family) are in, my part time job, and everything else... we'll, I've got my fingers crossed, but we'll see. Once I set a goal though (especially in a public forum like this), I tend to do whatever it takes to meet it. So there you have it. WIP done by April 1st (if not earlier). No fooling.

5. I'm going to be another year older in just over a week. Not sure how I feel about that. I used to LOVE birthdays, I couldn't wait until I got older. That is, until I turned 21. Then I started to wish that I could just keep turning 21. I still love celebrating, and getting to be a little bit spoiled for a day (one can hope anyway!), but the age part kind of stinks these days. Not too bad yet, but it's starting to get scary. The years seem to go by faster and faster the older I get. What's up with that? Do you remember being a teen and every year seemed to take forever?

So, what's on your mind today? Have a wonderful weekend, and don't forget the hysterical vlog coming your way on Monday!

Friday Five

1. My left eye kept twitching yesterday, for hours. I was told by numerous people it was probably because I am tired. Tired? Why would I be tired?

2. I've started getting up at 6 am to write in the mornings, because my other part-time job keeps stealing writing time from me at night. But this new WIP needs to be written, and I don't know when else to do it. 6 might not be early for some of you, but for an exhausted mommy every hour of sleep is precious.

3. Nesting instinct is kicking in a bit, I get these spurts of energy to clean. (Which, if you know me well, is rare.) Like yesterday, when I decided to go through this huge pile of papers, homework, pictures, Christmas letters/cards, etc. that was stacked in a corner of our house. I got it done, feeling pretty good about myself only to hear a strange ripping sound from the family room. Realizing SonB was no longer in his room playing with toys, I hurried out just in time to see him dumping a box of mac and cheese all over the floor. He'd torn it apart, and my dog was going to town eating dry noodles. Unfortunately my nesting instinct had disappeared by this point, but I had no choice except to keep cleaning. Bummer.

4. I love baby girl clothes. I could go broke on all the things I want to buy our baby. I have to hold myself back A LOT, because we don't have a money tree in the backyard. (Do any of you know where I can find one?) I've been making bows (I know, shocking right?! ME, being crafty??), and other things. I'm so excited for her to come this summer. Random side note, but yoga seems to get harder the bigger your baby gets. Some of those positions are a bit difficult with a bulging baby bump. Also running, and many other forms of exercising, seem to be increasing in difficulty. Just in case you weren't sure. But I'm determined to continue working out through the whole pregnancy. Even though chances are I'm going to swell up like the Goodyear Blimp once it gets hot, and no one will be able to tell anyway. Oh well.

5. Okay, so I might be a little bit tired.

Early Spring... oh please, yes!

So that groundhog didn't see his shadow, predicting an early spring. I, for one, am hoping that a groundhog really can predict the weather, because this so-cold-you-can't-breathe-and-your-hands-get-frostbite-just-from-holding-the-steering-wheel weather we're having? I'm soooo over it. I hope all my friends in the midwest are surviving that blizzard okay! What a crazy winter we've had. Sheesh. I'm ready for some good ole sunshine and warm breezes. (And all you California/Arizona/warm climate dwellers can just keep your smirks to yourself. I'm looking at you Kiersten "I almost couldn't wear capris-pocolypse" White! he he...)

Anyway, the only bright side to it being this cold outside is that I'm perfectly content curled up in my sweatshirt, blankets, and a computer to work on my revision or my WIP. Oh, but wait, I have kids. And I have to go volunteer at KidA's class today, which means I have to drag KidB out to our car (which is frozen solid right now) and brave the air that is so cold there are little crystalline bits of frost just floating around. Fun. Ah, well, the things we do for our kids.

Maybe I'll get to curl up, warm up, and get writing again tonight. One can dream big, right? Time to write and an early spring? That would be heaven right now.

Do you think a groundhog can predict the weather?

Q&A answers!

Thanks for all of your questions! Here we go with my super-awesome answers.

Carolina asked: How many revisions did you go through before you got your agent, and how many after?

Well, my whole journey to getting an agent took me 6 posts to do, and it explained a lot of that, so I will try to condense the answer. I did tons of revisions on different books, but the book that actually got me an agent I did a couple of rounds of revisions before sending out to agents (with my CPs). It was a fairly clean draft because I was more careful while I wrote it and didn't have to do as much revising. After I got my agent, I did two rounds of revisions, one was a little bit more involved and one was mostly just line edits (change a word here or there, or move this paragraph around, etc.).

Carolyn asked me to let you all know how the signing went, which I did in my last post!

Christine also wanted to know the same question as Carolina (she loves hearing about other people's journeys). Again, I did a big series of posts about "my path to getting an agent" a couple of months ago. If you haven't checked those out yet and want to know more about my path, that's where to get the low-down.

Janiel asked: How many other projects do you have in the works? How's your heart? The kids? Is YOUR agent going to agent your future works?

I have four projects at different stages, two are done being revised with my agent, one needs more revising and one is my current WIP. My heart is doing so much better, I decided not to use the beta blockers or anything, and so far, so good. I'm very grateful for that, especially after the way my last couple of weeks have gone, ha ha! My kids are doing awesome, Kid A decided to join his K-3 elementary school Christmas choir and has his first practice in the morning. His last soccer game got rained out unfortunately, but he did great this season and loved having SHH (otherwise known as his dad) be his coach. Kid B is too dang smart for his own good. He's really beginning to talk a lot, which is so fun. One of my favorites is when he says "boat." He sticks his lips way out, in a huge pucker, to enunciate the 't.' So cute! And yes, I'm planning on my agent being my agent for a LOOONG time to come (preferably until the end of my career. When I die. Ha ha). I love her and we work together really well. I'm so happy to have her as my champion in this business and as a friend.

Jennie asked: how do you balance it all: mother, wife, blogger, author?

Oh man, it's really hard sometimes. Okay, all the time. My friend Ally and I have often joked about how we don't "have time" to write (as many people, usually people who aren't writers) like to assume (you know the ones who say, "boy I wish I had time to write a book!" ha ha. Yeah. Right.); we have to "steal" the time. I steal time from housework, from sleep, from relaxing or TV, or any number of activities. I try very hard not to steal the time from my kids or my husband, but let's be honest, sometimes they probably get the short end of the Mommy/Wife stick--especially if I'm on a deadline. I just have to cut out anything superfluous, and I have learned to work very quickly in the time I have. Especially now that I work from home at nights, too. (Which unfortunately does cut into my prime writing/reading time.) I try to think about ideas during the day, so when I sit down to write, I'm ready to go.

Sometimes the blogging part is the hardest part for me. Blogging, and reading other's blogs, and commenting can take up SO much time. But it's so wonderful, and the online community is so amazing, that I am determined to make the time for it. Usually late at night, or maybe if my kids are playing and happy I will jump on my laptop and try and hurry to sneak some blog reading in.

Really, it's just hard, but I do my best to juggle it all and make it work.

Elana asked: Your favorite food? Treat? Season? Give me some faves!

Ooh, boy. Food. One of my passions. I ADORE cooking and baking, so you have to be more specific if you want faves for food. As a teen I would have immediately said "steak and mashed potatoes" (which is still a favorite), but now I have categories. Favorite ethnic food: Thai, especially with Mangoes and Sticky Rice for dessert. Favorite restaurant overall: Benihana. Oh man, I'm salivating just thinking about it... Favorite dessert: super tough because I'm a huge dessert junkie. But my number one standby is an amazing brownie sundae. But, as any of my friends or family will tell you, I have a huge list of incredible desserts I make. I just love dessert. I could keep going, but I should stop. My stomach has started to growl.

I really love all the seasons (except the middle and end of winter, when everything's dead and ugly and it's not Christmas anymore so snow, and coats, and boots, and cold aren't fun anymore, and I just want it to warm up again), but to narrow it down, my absolute favorite Holiday Season is Christmas. Hands down. I just love Christmastime.

Colene asked: Your fav book? Movie? Fav guilty pleasure? Fav thing to do when you aren't writing, reading, mom-ing, working?

Oh boy, hard questions. I really love a lot of books. My over-all favorite book as a teenager was THE POISONWOOD BIBLE by Barbara Kingsolver. That book really made me want to not just be a writer, but an amazing writer that could do something like she did with that book. My favorite book series of all time is definitely Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling is my hero, and as I've said before, I would die if I could meet her. I love MATCHED, and PARANORMALCY, and THE DARK DIVINE and Julie Berry's books and Shannon Hale's books, and oh dear this could go on and on, so let's stop there. Just know there are many, many, many more. You can friend me on goodreads if you'd like to know more about my tastes.

Same thing with movies. I miss going to the movies all the time like I used to, but there just isn't time. The movies that I've absolutely loved the most this year are INCEPTION (by the way, I know for sure how it ended, if you want to know...!) and AVATAR in IMAX 3D. They were both so incredible. All time favorites would be super hard to narrow down, but a couple that come to mind are THE ULTIMATE GIFT (a smaller movie that was so powerful and beautiful and I love it), I loved all the LOTR movies, especially RETURN OF THE KING. I'm also a sucker for great chick-flicks, some classics are HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS, ENCHANTED (kind of a kid's movie, but I love it), THE NOTEBOOK, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, THE SCARLET PIMPERNELL, MADE OF HONOR, you get the idea. Can you tell I love books and movies? And that I can't make decisions?

As for a favorite guilty pleasure... hmmm, probably eating all those desserts I mentioned before. And my favorite thing to do besides writing, reading, mom-ing, working? Probably taking a hot bubble bath, except that usually involves reading, so um, sleeping? No, no, I know! Going on a date with my SHH. That doesn't happen nearly enough for my liking. I love going on dates with my guy--just us, no kids, no stresses, just relaxing and being together. Usually eating good food. And indulging in my love of desserts.

Carolina asked: When do you write?

I think I pretty much answered that already. Whenever I can steal the time, but especially at night, or during naptime for SonB (and if SonA is watching a movie or playing happily).

Thank you so much for all of your questions, I hope you enjoyed reading my (sometimes really long) answers!