Happy Holidays everyone!  Here's hoping that 2009 will be a banner year for us all.  I for one plan to write more, exercise more, read more and work on a marketing plan for my new novel, Feisty Family Values.

The time with family was fun filled here.  It's fun catching up and seeing everyone.  It would be nice to prolong the joy, but there's usually a tiny part of agony, too.  There are so many who are gone and we miss them so much.

This week I've been to the gym and resumed writing my historical novel. It's a challenge. I need to do some more research and although I think I know how it all ends, I'm not sure what's going to happen in the middle.  It will be interesting to find out.

Well, have a wonderful new year celebration and I'll talk to you all soon.
Write on my friends,
BD

A writer buddy of mine posted her recent "snow day" activities and invited us all to share.  Since I work from home snow days are no longer what they used to be. I'm grateful that I don't have to drive anywhere by 8:00 AM and home in crazy winter traffic at 5:00 PM.  Let's face it, the crazies always go out after the first snow.  You know the ones I'm talking about - the drivers that forget that snow means slow down and 4-wheel drive does nothing worthwhile on ice.  We'll leave the ice conversation for another day. 

Personally I love snow and winter.  I'm a snow bunny at heart. I prefer layers of warm fuzzy sweaters and socks to skimpy shorts and tank tops.  There's something comforting in an afghan, book, and cup of hot cinnamon tea on a snowy day.  Don't you agree?

Our family skiied for some years and I loved it.  My favorite snowy day was skiing in a snow storm. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven - it was quiet and so white I thought I was skiing through a cloud.  The only sounds were my breath and my skiis swishing through the snow.

What was your favorite snow day?

Write on friends,
BD

KWA just had a question posted about when to critique (as you write along) and how much is too much?  Good questions.  I got really bogged down when writing my Feisty Family Values with the first three chapters.  I so wanted them to be perfect that I didn't get any further for probably six months or more.  Bad idea.  Then I got stuck in the middle and couldn't get over the hump. 

What I'm learning with novels 2 and 3 is that it's okay to read what you've written to get back into the story, BUT, don't worry about the critique just yet.  Keep writing.  Get the story down.  If you have an idea about a scene from two different points of view, write both and decide when you're done which to keep.

I find that (when I'm writing) without critiquing as I go it's much freer.  The story is able to take over and take me along.  The story doesn't always develop in a linear fashion.  Sometimes a scene from the middle or end will pop in and it's better to get it on the page than to miss the essence that brought it to the front of your mind in the first place. 

Now, to just get back to writing. The holidays have interrupted the flow, as has the year end scramble in my day job. 

Happy Holidays writing friends.
BD

I enjoyed the movie Twilight. It captured the spirit of the book very well. I read the Stephanie Meyer vampire series with my eldest grandson and enjoyed spirited discussions around Jacob and Edward.  He hates Jacob. Oh well, he has a right to his opinion. I like them both.  Robert Pattinson did a wonderful job portraying Edward on screen. Kristen Steward did a fabulous job as Bella. The only disappointing aspect to me was the special affects. Based on the budget constraints, however, they handled it well.  I've read some reviews that said it even gets better with multiple viewings. I might have to see about that. Suffice it to say it did it's job by providing great entertainment.

Write on.

BD