13 Things To Take Your Mind Off Submissions

I have some feelers extended into the sea of writerly opportunity. Nine, to be exact. I’ve decided nine will be my magic number. I will always have nine feelers out there, working for me while I continue to write. They can be queries, submissions, contests, whatever. I just have to keep nine going. If one comes back, I toss another one out there. Simple, right? But I have this horrible habit of fixating on said feelers, and not getting anything done. That simply will NOT work. So, here are 13 things I’ve done to take my mind off of my pending flood of rejection letters enough that I at least feel productive while I wait.

Thirteen Things To Take Your Mind Off Submissions 1. Pick up another WIP. This is the ultimate BEST thing to do in this case. I have set myself up with a daunting quota of 10K words/week and bi-weekly check-ins with a crit partner. I just have to pretend those other stories I’m trying to sell do not exist. It works. Mostly. 2. Chatting, blogging, and now TWITTERING with friends. It’s a hoot. 3. Baking. I don’t know why, but when I get stressed, I cook more. I’ve kept my work well-supplied with cookies and muffins the past few weeks. 4. Actually getting work done. I threw myself at my job for a week. The fact that I now have nothing to do is testament to just how much I should be writing instead of wasting my time there, but c’est la vie. At least I’m caught up. 5. Re-organizing files on computer and backing everything up. I don’t know about you, but when I’m heavy in draft mode, I get sloppy – like, my desktop is invisible sloppy. A lull in your ‘writing press’ is the perfect time to go over everything, file it away neatly, and catalog it so it’s ready to work with at the next phase, whatever that may be. 6. Cleaning desk, filing and re-ordering office. I’ve talked about the importance of having a writing space. I find ‘padding the nest’ while I wait is a comfort, and also feeds into #1. 7. Shopping for mancandy and other inspirational pics. Just file under ‘research’. Heh. ~ INTERMISSION ~ See? What submissions? 8. Reviving an old manuscript. Sometimes I get too stuck in edit/prep mode after sending out subs and queries and I simply cannot find the creative gusto. So, I channel that self-depreciating energy into something useful. We all have that old piece gathering dust in the back of a drawer (or computer file) somewhere. Now’s the perfect time to go back over it, and have it ready to be the next ‘feeler’ if needs be. 9. Reading. When all else fails, read. It always, ALWAYS works for me. Reading reminds me of why I love writing so much in the first place. It gets me excited about stories, characters, and scenarios, also feeding #1. 10. Take a break and do something fun. I often neglect other parts of my life when I have my head down and fingers to keyboard. But every once in a while, you gotta push away from the desk and step away from the computer. It’s summer, it’s lovely outside. I’ve been going to the park with my hubby to play Frisbee. Does wonders. 11. Write something fun, just cuz. When I first started writing, it was merely for the pleasure of it. Sometimes I have to shelf even that daunting WIP and write something off the wall, on a whim, to remind myself of WHY I am putting myself through all this trudgery. 12. Find someone else to root for. This is why it’s so important to have a network of friends who are also writers. We inspire each other, console each other, understand each other. Whenever I’m feeling particularly nerve-wracked or over-stressed about the ‘feelers’, I take a step back and focus on someone else – cheering them on or giving them a boost. Makes me feel better, and spreads the love. Two birds with one stone. 13. When all else fails? Cybercrack. Like this. Or this. Or this.

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Eden Hail
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Quick and Dirty

I really am trying to be better about my blogosphere participation, but heck - Thursday is just a busy part of the week for me.

So, here's a quick and dirty list of sites I find useful for writing.

1. Behind the Name - any name from almost any culture. You can search by name, language, sex, or meaning.

2. Intertran - a good online translator. Mind you, it's probably best to have a somewhat working understanding of the language before dropping big blocks of auto-translated text into your manuscript.

3. Thesarus.com - I live here. I don't care what Stephen King says.

4. deviantArt - Talk about inspiring. I'll admit it - I feed off of other people's creativity. You can get LOST in there . . .

6. Futureme.org - Not only is this useful for sending yourself reminders and or setting goals for yourself, but some of the stuff people put up there is good author fodder. I mean - it's life's drama. That's what this is about, right?

7. theromantic.com - A collection of famous love letters. *sigh*

8. brainyquote.com - I love quotes - ideas that have been immortalized.

9. poets.org - I usually start here and look for something to detail a google search. The point is that poetry is word-craft in it's highest form. What writer wouldn't want to immerse themselves in that?

10. etymonline.com - This is one of the coolest sites I've found. It's great for creating your own universe terminology based off of root and linked words. Good stuff.

11. Okay, I'll admit it. I rely on Wiki more than I should. But research is not the fun part of writing for me. I usually stay vague enough that Wiki suits, and make the rest up.

What do you mean that's only 11 items on my Thursday Thirteen? Um . . .

Google counts as two.

Sniff or Snort

I'm doing a fiction writing workshop with A. Catherine Noon through the Writer's Retreat Forum. It's been slow-starting because my slackerific ass has been virtually non-existent online the past month. But, I have been reading. We're on to chapter three: Characters.

Why is this relevant? One of my fleeting thoughts was wondering how to show and not tell things about characters. For some reason, I made the leap to integrating all the senses. And THAT got me thinking . . . what smells might affect a certain character in a certain way? Basically, the idea is that each person has a catalog of smells that have certain meanings to them, that evoke strong memories or emotions.

Here are thirteen scents that get a strong reaction out of me . . .

Thirteen of Gwen's Sniff and Snort Worthy Scents 1. Lilacs. Where I grew up, there were huge lilac trees everywhere. Not only is this my favorite flower and my favorite floral scent, but it takes me back to age five - lime popsicles and running through the sprinkler. 2. Spaghetti sauce. Nothing says you're home like walking in the door to the infusion of basil, garlic and tomato . . . 3. That stale smell of the box that has all the holiday decorations in it. The decorating is my favorite part, so this smell always gets me excited for the holiday season. 4. Ralph Lauren Polo Sport. Hubby's eau de choice when he first swept me off my feet, still makes my heart flutter. I can hone in on it in a crowd from fifty yards away. 5. Sea air. The first hint of chilled salt that comes miles before you can actually see the ocean. It just makes me feel free. 6. The great white belly. I love to nuzzle my cat Oliver's tummy. He smells like popcorn flavored Jelly Bellies. No joke. 7. Banana fragrance of any kind. If you want to see me gag - bring out a whif of this stuff. When I was little, my mom put this nasty stuff on my fingernails to keep me from chewing them. It was very close to Banana. I gagged and hacked, but I still chewed. 8. Airplanes. There are two many wrong smells here to mention. Just about any one of them can get my body pumping adrenaline. 9. Cinnabon. Even if I'm not hungry, this smell can make my mouth water. 10. Patchouli incense. Not my favorite scent, but it is my mom's, so it's comforting by default. 11. Fresh Mint. Naturally refreshing and invigorating, but it reminds me of a HUGE garden we had once. I spent the whole summer grazing. Or it also makes me think of Mojitos, which are also good. *grin* 12. Cigarette smoke. I don't care if it's rude, I hack all over anyone who dares to smoke anywhere near me. I can smell it on breath, clothes, furniture. I have to wash my clothes and shower immediately if I'm anywhere where there's smoke. Just yuck. Srsly. 13. Wood smoke. Funny, but this has the opposite effect of that *cough*other*cough* kind. I love to camp, or to have a fire blazing for any reason. This smell just makes me want to snuggle up. What scents do you love/hate and why?

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

Leave a comment, and I'll link back to you here:

Debbie Mumford
Adelle Laudan
Lia Morgan
Tempest Knight
Nina Pierce
Paige Tyler
Alice Audrey
Word Trix
A. Catherine Noon
Susan Helene Gottfried
Shelley Munro
Unhinged
Ms. Menozzi
Eaton Bennett

I Didn't Say It . . .

But I still think it's true.

I don't know about you guys/gals, but I *LOVE* Google. So much that I've decided to do an 'Ode to Google'. But don't worry - that's not what this is. That will get tossed on my ever-growing WIP pile.

Instead, I'll share something that Google helps me with. I'm a student of philosophy. So, I'm always on the lookout for quotes. You never know when you can use something someone else said to back you up. And, truth be told, there are many billions of people more eloquent than I that have come before - so why not stand on the shoulders of genius, right? Heh.

That's why I love Google. I have 28 Google Notebooks - various collections of things, but one of them is a list of quotes I encounter that strike me. I've dug up thirteen of them for you this week. =)

1. "Chance favors the prepared mind." ~ Louis Pasteur 2. "A moral being is one who is capable of reflecting on his past actions and their motives - of approving of some and disapproving of others." ~ Charles Darwin 3. "Well-timed silence hath more eloquence than speech." ~ Martin Fraquhar Tupper 4. "A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other." ~ Charles Dickens 5. "The whole secret of life is to be interested in one thing profoundly and in a thousand things well." ~ Horace Walpole 6. "There are two kinds of light--the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures." ~ James Thurber 7. "Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric." ~ Bertrand Russell 8. "The end of the human race will be that it will eventually die of civilization." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson 9. “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” ~ Kahlil Gibran 10. "The longest journey of any person is the journey inward." ~ Dag Hammerskjvld 11. "Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives." ~ C.S. Lewis 12. "An absolutely new idea is one of the rarest things known to man." ~ Thomas More 13. "Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere." ~ Carl Sagan

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

Leave a comment, and I'll link back to you here:

Kathleen Oxley
Shelley Munro
Ms. Menozzi
Gina Ardito
Morgan St. John
Adelle Lauden
Tempest Knight
~Liz~
Tara S. Nichols
Brenda ND
Alice Audrey
Jennifer McKenzie
Jennifer Bianco
Kaige (Impulsive Hearts)
R. G. Alexander
Paige Tyler
A. Catherine Noon
Robin L. Rotham
Unhinged
Eaton Bennett
Dana Belfry
Chloe Devlin
Nicholas
Susan Helene Gottfried
Word Trix

13 of Gwen's April Reads

I'm betting that more than a few people I know will relate to this. I actually have four 'book lists': to research, to be bought, to be read (the list), to be read (the pile).

Here's a glimpse at April's pile for me.

Gwen's April/May TBR Pile 1. The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova - recommended and loaned by my father in law. 2. Fiction Writing Workshop, Josip Novakovich - for my workshop with Cat on the WR Board. 3. An anthology of thriller short stories, to get my feet wet in that genre. 4. The Fiery Cross, Diana Gabaldon - this is the fifth book in the Outlander series, which I absolutely love. Looking forward to snuggling up with this one over my coming business trip. 5. Moon's Fury, CT Adams and Cathy Clamp - I try to spread my paranormal/urban fantasy genre reading around various publishers. This is Tor/Forge. 6. Kushiel's Scion, Jacqueline Carey - This is the fourth book in a series. I loved the original trilogy and the friends I've recommended it to have gone on to read the later books and recommended them to me, so I'm looking forward to this one too. 7. Dime Store Magic, Kelley Armstrong - A new name in paranormal for me, recommended by a friend who doesn't normally read paranormals. This Canadian author is published in the US through Bantam Books. ~Intermission~ 8. Industrial Magic, Kelley Armstrong - I was instructed to read both books. =) 9. Demon Night, Meljean Brook - I went on to the girls a while back how Meljean was my new hero. I hadn't read anything of hers yet, now I have, and I re-certify: she's my hero. Obvioulsy, I cheated and read this one already. Review will be coming. 10. Dream Chaser, Sherrilyn Kenyon - I have been meaning to read something of hers forever. I'm looking forward to checking out this very successful author, published through St. Martin's. 11. Dark of the Moon, Susan Krinard - I am hitting Harlequin titles hard over the next couple of months, this was my first toe in the pond. I read this one too. Review to come. 12. I picked up a pocket version of the Oxford Essential Guide to Writing. I do actually plan to read it. Bits and pieces at a time. 13. Swimming Without a Net, MaryJanice Davidson - I read a story of hers in a recent anthology, and really liked it, so when I spotted this on a fellow bookworm's shelf, I snatched it up. Now, don't go thinking I'm just a clepto who takes books out of people's houses. I traded it for some lasagna.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

Leave a comment, and I'll link back to you here:
Kathleen Oxley
Shelley Munro
Ms. Menozzi
Gina Ardito
Morgan St. John
Adelle Lauden
Tempest Knight
~Liz~
Tara S. Nichols
Brenda ND
Alice Audrey
Jennifer McKenzie
Jennifer Bianco
Kaige (Impulsive Hearts)
R. G. Alexander
Paige Tyler
A. Catherine Noon
Robin L. Rotham
Unhinged
Eaton Bennett
Dana Belfry
Chloe Devlin
Nicholas
Susan Helene Gottfried
Word Trix

Thursday Thirteen Play Resumed. (Sorta)

So, this week, I had planned to do a boring 'to-be-read' pile overview. But instead, you get semi-rant list of excuses. Ten of them are completely true. Three of them are not. You make up your mind which is which. I solemnly swear I won't do this to you again.

Thirteen Reasons Gwen's Been a Lazy Blogger Lately 1. I've gone 11 days straight without caffeine. 2. Last Saturday the weather in Seattle was gorgeous and nothing could keep me inside at the computer. 3. I've put 672 miles on my car in the last 10 days. 4. Every night I must first engage in a barter with my husband for internet minutes, as we only have one connection, and he has to play Xbox Live. 5. If I do not make said husband food, he will not eat. 6. I'm in charge of an annual trade show at my day job and have 16 more working days until I get on a plane for Ohio. I am already nervous about this. Did I mention I hate flying? 7. Due to the lack of caffeine, I had to take up smoking. Now my two daily ten minute breaks, which I would spend blogging, have been overtaken by the need for nicotine. ~Intermission~ 8. I blame sexyjack! 9. We just started a series of writing workshops at the Writer's Retreat forum, and getting everyone settled took some special admin attention. 10. My cat has been on a four-day puke-a-thon, leaving me to barely sleep at night, because in addition to flying, I hate the sound of retching, human, animal or otherwise. Srsly. 11. I mean it - I really did give up Red Bull. I hate to admit it, but I'm just lazier without it. *sigh* 12. My husband has taken to traipsing around the house scantily clad. Nothing is more distracting than live eye candy. 13. The processes that control cellular mitotic division, up to and including the protein phosphorilation cascades are complicated.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

Leave a comment, and I'll link back to you here:
Kathleen Oxley
Shelley Munro
Ms. Menozzi
Gina Ardito
Morgan St. John
Adelle Lauden
Tempest Knight
~Liz~
Tara S. Nichols
Brenda ND
Alice Audrey
Jennifer McKenzie
Jennifer Bianco
Kaige (Impulsive Hearts)
R. G. Alexander
Paige Tyler
A. Catherine Noon
Robin L. Rotham
Unhinged
Eaton Bennett
Dana Belfry
Chloe Devlin
Nicholas
Susan Helene Gottfried
Word Trix

Wheels of Glory, or . . . not.

I don't know what got me on this track in the first place, but let me take you for a little ride down memory lane.

1) The first car I remember growing up is a '71 Beetle. His name was Herby. Though ours was a yucky metallic brown, and chipped. I remember I filled in some of the chips with bright red nail polish. *innocent* 2) My dad has a thing for buying old rusty pick-up trucks dirt cheap and then getting them into a semi-running state. For a while. The first one I remember was ol' Trusty Rusty. Dad had to start him with a screwdriver. But for some reason, even without seatbelts, I always feel safe and warm in one of my Dad's clunky trucks. And in every one of my novel length stories, there is one, at some point. 3) '65 Sprite - Austen Healey. It was three different shades of cherry red. This picture doesn't really show how small it is. You can lift the rear end off the ground. Though my dad once drove it with a St. Bernard and 3 kids in it. The St. Bernard rode shotgun. We kids crammed into the back. 4) Ah... the '78 Buick Regal. The first car I ever drove. I learned in that boat, and because of it, I can parallel park anything. It got around my last two years of high school, and was affectionately dubbed the 'pimp-mobile'. 5) This was the first car I ever bought - a '92 Buick Le Sabre. Mine was the same gold color, minus the ugly wood paneling. I have to say, it was a nice ride. Bucket. Leather. Seats. Her name was Dyna, after her special 'Dynaride' package. But the tranny was smoking when we drove it to the lot to trade in. 6) When I met him, hubby drove an '88 Jeep Cherokee Loredo. We never did drive it through three feet of mud. But we did flip a bitch over a median once. It looked like this, but it was technically a Je p. ~Intermission~ 8) I ... totaled this one. Nothing to see here - move along, move along. Not. My. Fault. 10) So, after I totaled the Corolla, my plan to win the lottery didn't pan out. I dove this POS Jetta. It had a mold issue. Oh, and you had to put it in neutral at every stoplight and rev the engine, or it would die. Fun times. 11) This is my baby now. Yes, I have the trim package - which seems like a good idea until you realize how many damn curbs there are all over the place. And yes, it's periwinkle blue. I like it that way, and hubby is man enough to handle the remarks about his masculinity. 12) Oh yeah, for about three weeks, I was the proud owner of a '99 Acura 3.2 TL V6. But we needed cash, so we rolled it over. *sigh* I wish I could have kept that car . . . 13) Okay, fine. So I didn't really *own* the '07 Mustang. But for a week in San Francisco, it was mine. And that was enough to fuel my fantasy life for another couple years. 13) Currently drooling over this one. The '08 Highlander Hybrid. It gets the same gas mileage as my Matrix, but it's sooooooo much cooler. I got to drive one of these on a business trip, and when I sell my first novel, I'm gettin' me one! So... tell me: What's your favorite car you've ever owned?

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

Leave a comment, and I'll link back to you here:
Pretty Life Online
Shelley Munro
Arlene
Ms. Menozzi
Irishcoda
Gina Ardito
Morgan St. John
Adelle Lauden
Tempest Knight
~Liz~
Tara S. Nichols
Brenda ND
Alice Audrey
Jennifer McKenzie
Jennifer Bianco
Kaige (Impulsive Hearts)
R. G. Alexander
Paige Tyler
A. Catherine Noon
Robin L. Rotham
Unhinged
Eaton Bennett
Laura
Dana Belfry
Chloe Devlin
Nicholas
Susan Helene Gottfried
Word Trix
Kathleen Oxley

Revenge of the Meme Gods

Here it is in all its resplendent glory - the rest of the 78/26/13 Meme thingamabob. I promised fewer words, so take a rest. I think it speaks for itself . . . Please forgive the silliness. I blame the Red Bull.

Other people who are doing/have done this: Liz, Catherine, Morgan le Fey, Eden, Kat.

1) Three of your favorite movies: Yes, I'm a nerd. And proud of it. 2) Three kids names: Hey, it could happen. People name their kids weird things sometimes. 3) Three celeb crushes: 4) Three things you want to do before you die: A girl can dream, can't she? I didn't say they had to be all at once . . . 5) Three of your favorite musicians: Extra points if you know who the guy in the middle is. 6) Three physical things about the opposite sex that appeal to you: 7) Three of your favorite hobbies: Writing, Photoshop, Raising Hell 8) Three of your favorite people you've known in your life: OR What? They didn't specify *which* life . . . 9) Three things you really want to do badly right now: 10) Three careers you’re considering/you’ve considered: professional student, best-selling author, goddess of the underworld 11) Three ways that you are stereotypically a boy: 12) Three ways that you are stereotypically a girl: 13) Three people that I would like to see post this meme: Andi, Jen, Debbie. Oh, and:

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

Leave a comment, and I'll link back to you here:
A. Catherine Noon
Kathleen Oxley
Word Trix
Kaige (Impulsive Hearts)
Alice Audrey
Susan Helene Gottfried
Chloe Devlin
Paige Tyler
Eden's Eternal
Shelley Munro
Debbie Mumford
Monica
Adelle Lauden
~Liz~
Jennifer Shirk
Crystal Jordan