What I've learned from the Epic Barn Fire of 2010

*Hay can catch on fire spontaneously.

*When 50 tons of hay, your barn, and tractor are on fire, it causes so much smoke that it can be seen all across the valley.

*Being out of the country on a cruise is an awfully inconvenient time to have a massive fire in your back yard.

*You will have calls, texts, messages on facebook, and various messages left to every member of your family from people who are concerned.

*Complete strangers will jump your fence and catch your yearling horse, who is completely freaking out, and take care of him.

*Your neighbors will come and get your dog and take him to their house, making sure he has lots of food and water.

*The City fire department has a really quick response time and they will stay late into the night.

*Putting out a hay fire takes A LOT of water.

*Your brothers, parents, and neighbors will come right over and help out, no matter what they were supposed to be doing or how nicely dressed they are.

*If you can’t be there while a trillion people are in your backyard, make sure your Dad and Step-Mom are. (especially when they know most of the cops/firefighters there.)

*It takes a lot of fans to un-smoke and un-stink your house.

*When a ton of wet, muddy, and stinky firefighters tromp through your house, make sure your Step-mom is there forcing them all to take off their boots.

*Send your three year old daughter to your Mom's house to play. She'll have a much better time, and won't be upset by the fire.

*Random smaller hay bales can burst into flames the next day.

*The fire departments response time is just as fast the second time.

*When you horse waterers are melted, you won’t have water to your house for several hours until your amazing-can-do-anything husband can fix it. (No matter how many times he swears while he’s working)

*Don’t use the toilets until your are certain that they will flush.

*When it’s all said and done, you will have a giant, stinky mess to clean up, and a large head ache from dealing with the insurance company.

*It SUCKS to deal with a fire, but as long as my hubby and daughter are safe and sound in our un-singed house, and we have such great friends and family, it makes me realize how very much I have to be grateful for!

Meet Writers Cubed!

My besties. My cubies.

Our website is almost done!!! Check us out soon at www.writerscubed.com

If I could pick a different life . . .

{not that I would. I love my life and my family} BUT for the sake of the game . . .

I would want to be a cowgirl. I want to ride my horse with skill and be as tough as cowgirls are. I want to travel around to all the small towns and live at the rodeos. I want to wear the cowgirl garb {NO. Not the ugly rodeo queen stuff, the cool, country stuff} and flirt with the cowboys.

I’ve got part of it down. I’ve got a way cute cowboy hubby that I get to flirt with everyday. The rest? Well, I’ll just have to dream.

Tag! You’re it! What would you’re life be like if you could choose anything? Leave me a link to your blog so I can check it out!

Help! They're after me!

New stories!

Ahhh! I want to dive into one so badly. All these new stories are scattered across my mind. I see breeding operations, gospel fiction and revolutionary war. Corporate espionage and imaginary worlds. Time travel and almost affairs! Dystopian, Fantasy, Adult Romance, Middle Grade, Picture books!!! Ahhhh!

I can't pay attention to them. I've got a near completed project right now, dang it. But these stories are doggie piling on my brain, and I can't focus on anything. It's like they are saying: "If you won't pay attention to us, then we won't let you pay attention to anything else." So, what do I do? Veg out on the couch in front of the T.V.

It's a good plan.

I've GOT to finish the rest of the manuscript before I can do anything, right? That's the right thing to do. *RIGHT?*

Yes. It is. I can't get a divorce and get out of this. I can't have an abortion and get out of this. I can't give up on my baby while it's skull is still developing. (all analogies I've heard used for the process of writing a book.)

I've got to get this finished.

*but not tonight. So You Think You Can Dance, a bowl of ice cream, and a snugly husband are all calling my name* Good-night tormenting new stories. I'll see you tomorrow.

Writing and Reading

I’ve heard many people say over and over that to be a good writer, you have to be well read. Is it true?

For me, I love to read. What writer doesn’t? But I barely have enough time to write my own book, let alone read everyone else's. So when I started writing I banned myself from reading.

Why? It distracted me from my own book in a lot of ways. Their books were so good that I couldn’t put them down to read. I got discouraged because I felt that my book will never be as good. I even found myself accidentally writing characters/things/situations into my book because I’d read them elsewhere. *not good*

So I stayed away from other books.

Then, once I finished the first draft of my manuscript, and needed a break, I finally hit the bookshelves and read like mad. And you know what?

I think I was wrong.

I think it was a mistake to avoid books all together. I learned a lot by reading published works. I found new techniques, and interesting ways to craft my story. It’s been good for me to get a better understanding of my genre, and see what the readers are reading.

Sure . . . I still got distracted from my manuscript. I just need to sort out how to stay focused on my book, while reading others.

What do you guys think? Do you read a lot while writing your manuscript? How do you stay focused?

A little sunshine

I've been busy lately . . . I know its a lame excuse, we're all busy. I've been slacking on the blogging, but I've been hard at work on my manuscript.

Anyhow, my good friend Jo, at JoStorm left me an awesome award! Thanks Jo!

I'm going to pass this award on to five blogs that bring sunshine into my day.

Margie at Spin me Write Round

Tamara at Why I Get Up

Roni at Fiction Groupie

Lois at I Devour Kid's Books

Rose at We Live in a Zoo

You guys all rock! Thanks for your blogs!

I'm hard at work on my rough draft, trying to make it not so rough . . . you know how it goes. I'll get blogging soon!

I did it!!!

I finally finished the first draft of my manuscript. Holla! Once I wrote The End, I ran around like a mad woman, and broke out into unattractive, bouncy dancing without warning. (my family thought I’d lost it)

But, really I was so excited and proud of myself! How did you feel once you finished that first draft? What crazy things did you do?

Then, as my good friend Margie says, I experienced the plummet after the high. Did anyone else feel this way? Though so excited, I also realized the hoards of work that still faces me before I can call my book “done.” I deflated a little.

Then I got to share the great news with people, which by the way, went great. Everyone was so excited and proud of me (thank you to everyone for your encouragement) But no one really shared my enthusiasm (except my group. I love you guys) Even my close family, who was very happy for me, didn’t share my crazy excitement. So I deflated a little bit more. I guess I wanted someone to jump and and down and scream with.

I got over it though. I'm mustering up the courage to face my revisions, and I accepted the fact that the support I'm getting from friends and family is enough.

So the purpose of this post (other than sharing my awesome news with everyone so you can pat me on the back and tell me how great I am, of course) is to mention the love for writing friends.

My writers group, (formally known as Maple Mountain Writers Guild) officially Writers Cubed, are my lifeline in my writing world. They know what it’s like to write. What it’s like to think of stories and feel connected to characters. They know. They get it. I would be lost without them.

So, as important and amazing as your non-writerly loved ones are, they won’t get it. That’s why it’s important to have writer friends in your life. Whether they’re a group that you really meet with, or people on the internet, you need that support in your writing life. It made ALL the difference for me.

Writers Cubed. You rock! You’re my cubies! Not my besties, but much more.

XOXOXO