Broken Heater, Boxed Wine and Writing

Wow! I have really procrastinated in making a menu for Friendsgiving. This is the longest I've gone without getting Yuletide gifts too. I'm so behind this year and I'm not really sure why. 

Our heater is broken. Good thing it doesn't get freezing in Los Angeles, California. There has been a few mornings we woke up to go to the gym and its in the 40s outside. I got out my hand warmers that Emory gave me. They're little pandas! Super cute! He has a plan black pair of hand warmers so I need to make sure they are charged and ready to go. 

I spoke with my best friend who has an idea for a story that she wants to write and asked if I'd like to do a writing session with her. It's where we set the timer and write whatever we think and then stop, read back the last paragraph and then set the timer and do it again. We had so much junk food and stuff the last time we did this. I wonder if we took any photos of it. That was a good year. I actually won the 50,000 word challenge for NaNoWriMo. 

I hear NaNoWriMo actually folded. I stopped trying because I needed that group when I was younger. It was fun and gave me a chance to really meet new people and be part of a group. Now, I'm a recluse with a bad attitude.... Okay, maybe not a bad attitude, but I just feel like all that is noise and I want quiet. 

Oh-My-Golly! I found a boxed wine on sale for half the marked price. I laughed when I told mom I bought a box wine for $5.99 and it's got about 4 bottles within the inner bag. She said that would make a great gift. I need to go up and see if there are any more boxes left. I guess she has a lot of people in mind that would like something like that. My aunt laughs when boxed wine is mentioned. I wish they had white wine. I'd buy her a box as a joke present.

Sue made some pretty flower decorations that she made at her decorating class. She's going to let me have them for my table for Friendsgiving. I think they are really neat and I love pumpkins! I wish I could keep them year round, but like everything organic, it too shall rot.

Writing Update:

I'm late writing for Christmas anthologies this year, but I found a place looking for novellas 20,000-40,000 words. The publishing house wants Christmas horror.

I have chosen my Final Girl and I'm really working hard on this project. It has to be ready to go by next September. That's not a lot of time to feel a story out. I'm a pantser. That means I like to write without plans. I should try to organize a little bit. I have so many ideas for this project and it might be as Christmas as Die Hard but with spirits instead of terrorists. 

It's currently untitled. Titles come to me while writing. I just need to trust the process. 

Words: 1238/20,000 goal

Jones the Dog, Yuletide Shopping and Writing

Rosey-Dosey got a new dog named Jones. The dog is so beautiful and still a bit of a puppy, so that said, they aren't going to Yosemite for Thanksgiving this year with the communes. To celebrate with the commune, she threw an early celebration. Can you believe this little guy is only 25 lbs? He's so big and yet he's all fur. 

Emory and I spent the weekend shopping for Christmas gifts. Sue and I are heading to Arizona for a few days, and I need to have Arizona commune gifts ready to go. I usually stay with the people in Glendale, but I'm thinking about asking to stay at the Scottsdale commune this trip. Sue will probably visit the Scottsdale commune, but not stay. 

We made Rice Crispy Treats with cereal that is extra sugary, and we slathered frosting on top of it. It's probably not good for our teeth, but it tastes so good on the tongue. I also found a vegan/gluten free caramel chocolate. So good. I love that all the sugar is now in the store. 

Writing Update:

I am finally feeling pretty satisfied with the rewrite (fourth times the charm) on this fairy/werewolf story. I need to really name it. I did make my werewolf so grumpy. He's supposed to be stuck between a rock and a hard place, and he's so grumpy, he'd rather stay put. I might have to really think about what has him so hesitant. What is scaring him that makes me unable to move forward and take chances? 

I renamed him and I feel like it suits him. I'm also in a spot where, do I just write the story under his Point of View for the whole thing or do I open it up to the fairy's point of view? It is a romance. Can I do his Point of View until I get to my fairy, who still doesn't have a fitting name. 

I tried looking up fairy lore to see if I could get any ideas on what type of fairy I'm dealing with, but I think I already have it pretty set on who this character is. I just need to make him a fitting rival. Rewrites.... you know!  

Colorado Scrapbook, December Theater and Writing

I have a scrapbook, but I don't know anything about scrapbooking, so I don't know what to do with it. Sue and Darlene went to a card-making party, and Sue saw some scrapbook papers and things that said Colorado, so she nabbed a few items for me. She said she had eaten really bad. I wish I could have gone to that party with them, but I'm so not good at making things. I swear, anything I do looks like a first-grader's project with visible glue strings. 

I have to finish shopping for all my peeps that celebrate the holidays. I am giving a lot of gift cards this year, which lacks a great deal of creativity, but I don't have the energy to shop. I see so many things that I like, but apparently, what I like.... well, it's not so popular with other people. 

We got tickets for a show in December. Sue said the theater throws some really unusual shows, so that's exciting. The one she went to was Dracula the Musical. I really wanted to see that show, but timing is everything, and is practically the only thing we don't really have. 

I found all my writer shirts! I have one that says, "When I think about books I touch my shelf," which is a picture of books obviously, but a play off from the song "When I think about you I touch myself." I also have another shirt that says "Emotionally attached to Fictional Characters." So true! I'm so happy I found all my shirts! 

Writer Update:

I'm trying to name the book I'm currently working on. Nothing really fits yet, but I sort of like "The Contract." Much like names, because I will switch character names until something just feels right, a title has to feel right, too. It's an alpha/beta/omega story, and I hope I'm doing a good job. I have two chapters already done. 

I keep telling myself to keep the chapters small, but the more I edit, the longer they get. I do worry that I'm bogging the story down, but I think it's pretty good so far. It flows, and there aren't slow bits yet. I don't do "slice of life" fiction really. Maybe I should try my hand at it?