Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Deck the Halls with Bla, Bla, Bla...

Daily Stats
Words: not counting
Caffeine: morning cup + midmorning cappuccino
Evil Calories: Peanut Butter Blossoms, Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Bars (curse this holiday!)
Reality TV: The Biggest Loser Finale

Ok, fan base. I'm sorry I've been so absent lately. I'm taking a month breather to enjoy (survive) the holidays. I haven't written boo, save the first two hundred words of a short story that I need to finish by tomorrow to make a contest deadline. No problem, though, because tomorrow...I'm getting new cappuccino maker! A real cappuccino maker. Not the poopy stovetop kind or a $15 second-hand hunk of crap off of Craig's List. It's a Starbucks Barista. I know...Starbucks...gag me with a vente nonfat caramel-orange-mint-raspberry mocha, but they make a damn good machine. It claims to steam for 4 minutes straight. We'll see if it meets my velvety foam standards. The machine I have now makes the milk look more like Calgon. Blegh!

Anyway, I may not be back until the new year, so happy, merry Yuletide glee to everyone! Come January, it's back to my new book, that I vow to finish by summer. Ahhhhh....summer. I HATES winter!!!! Filthy snow!!!!!!!


Saturday, December 1, 2007

Insert Long Sigh of Relief Here

Daily Stats
Words: several handfuls
Caffeine: morning cup + midmorning cappuccino + afternoon cappuccino (my stovetop espresso maker is dying a slow death. Let us pray...)
Evil Calories: Snickerdoodles
Reality TV: Project Runway reruns on Bravo

Ah, the absence of word count pressure. I loved doing Nanowrimo, but I'm basking in the aftermath of not having to worry about meeting that 1600 word per day quota. I can also focus back on submitting to writing contests. I've sent two short stories to the Writers Digest Short Story Competition (one of which is actually an excerpt from my Nano novel), and I have a deadline on the 20th for a Writers Journal contest. Can I say that I really, REALLY hate paying money to submit work to contests. I know both magazines are well respected, and I'm sure they do all they can to actually read everything that comes in (or, they read a random few and use the rest as kindling). It's a bit like gambling I guess, but I'd much rather spend $12 at the Blazing 7's machine (not that I ever win at that either, but...you know....the flashing lights and sound effects are fun).