Early Spring or a Twisted Mind?

 

Reports state that the groundhog did not see his shadow this year; thus, we’ll be blessed with an early spring.

I think the sadistic brat lied. For all I know, the little devil was holding a red apple when he or she made the announcement.

There’s a meme on Facebook with the groundhog admitting he lied, but I’d hoped the post had been fabricated by someone trying to be funny, or cruel. After all, if the little bugger actually saw his shadow, we’d be stuck with another six weeks of winter. Even suggesting this may be our fate rings of cruelty, don’t you think?

And yet, here in the winter wonderland known as Minnesota, we’re going to be showered with a freezing rain this evening. What kind of early spring is that? Rain, yes; freezing, no!

Isn’t this sort of undeniable proof that the groundhog is guilty of: false advertising, cruelty against animals and the human race, and depraved indifference, resulting in who knows how many crimes­­ as extended winters force people into depression which can induce negative responses and actions.

I say we put that groundhog behind bars!
Any bounty hunters out there willing to catch the culprit? I’ll put up a $1 reward payable through PayPal immediately upon delivery.

Back from the Anti-Wonderland!

Hello everyone! I do not have any tech-blood running through my veins, so when my blog quit working eons ago (wouldn’t let me edit old posts or add a new post) during a time I was undertaking a grief sabbatical (lost a few loved ones), I decided to let the blog rest. And rest it did, but for way too long! I’m very sorry about the extended absence, and I hope I can make it up to you.
I read some great books during my time away: the Al Capone series by Gennifer Choldenko and Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator by Jennifer Allison (MG books you’ll love!); Tagged, a great YA book by Diane C. Mullen; Home by Harlen Coben; The Crossing by Michael Connelly; and Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks.

I read a number of other books as well, actually stacks of them, but the above come to mind in a blink.

When I wasn’t reading, writing, or editing, I was painting. Sometimes on canvas, sometimes on wood, sometimes on metal. I had emotions to get out and managed it with both the printed word and paint.

 

Currently, I have two novel-length works battling for attention in my brain. My solution? I’m working on the preliminaries for each. I’m drafting rough chapter/plot outlines and character sketches with GMC’s clearly stated and very thorough character charts. I’m also drawing a few maps of fictional towns covered in the novels, blueprints for houses (filled with art and furniture) so that once I get around to writing the novels, I’ll know where a character is at when he or she is tiptoeing through a house or neighborhood.

Realistically, once I’ve got all this info down, and once I know the characters so deeply that I even know what their favorites of just about everything are and what they think about their toenails, putting the actual novels together will go a little smoother than it would go without these assists. Revising will be the brow-sweating task––it always is.

I’m not planning on writing both novels at the same time. I have faith that one novel, or one character from either, will eventually tug at my heart and the recesses of my brain more than the others. That’s the one I will trust to help me plow ahead to those wonderful words, The End.

And if that doesn’t work, you know what they say––fake it until you make it!

What helps you get through your goals?