Shopping, in General, is A Nightmare (and other updates)

I only shop at the mall two, maybe three times a year. And let's face it--I'm mostly just helping others spend their money, because I'm a little lacking. So the Christmas shopping season has begun because we all like to have this stuff over with about the same time Christmas commercials get into the full swing of things.

This year's experience was much different. The mall was gross. And I don't mean because there were too many shoppers (there were), but that it was just dirty, and very visibly dirty (and I'm in no way a germaphobe). Yes, I understand the mall I go to is in a college town, but still. Ew. If I'm going to shop in store, it's going to be standalone stores from now on. And don't get me started on the balance of awful people--if fellow customers were super rude, there was excellent customer service. If the other customers stayed far, far away, the customer service was abysmal (yes, I'm talking about you Best Buy and all your frat bro part-timers). 

Online has been a smoother ride, but did you know that Amazon's Prime membership paywall has gotten much thicker, higher and probably has barbed wire on the top? Some people in my family love those crappy--I mean sappy--Hallmark Christmas movies, and now some of those are even locked behind the paywall. I mean, I get health and beauty stuff, I get the grocery service. Having no non-Prime access to those categories doesn't bother me too much. But DVDs, books and CDs were the bread and butter of Amazon. Why put a movie (that, let's be real honest here, probably isn't in high demand) behind your supposedly fabulous paywall? If it ever happens to vinyl, I know I'll have to find a new place to shop.

In actual writerly news, I finally sold my first Fiverr gig. You can check out the spotlight I did for an indie book award and then you can go to Fiverr and order your own book spotlight (if you are so inclined).

Verses and Vows is still chugging along, so there's no real news there, other than the first round of revisions still isn't done. Not to worry, though. I have plenty of time on the schedule. 

Which leads me to NaNoWriMo 2016. I'm ready to go. Are you participating this year? What will you be writing?

#NaNoWriMo 2015: DAYS 12 & 13

Day 12:
Finally, I got some real writing done. And my protagonists are hanging on for (emotional) dear life. What more could I possibly do to them to get them to see what direction they need to go?

More writing. That's what.


Day 13:
I really thought I was going to finally catch up today. But things got in the way--some important, some not so much. I helped wrap Christmas presents (yes, we're an early bird family around here), which took up most of the afternoon. Then, just when I was getting ready to get back to the novel, breaking news on the TV. Usually I only keep it on for the noise, but when there's breaking news, the part of me that still harbors that journalism bug wants to run to the TV and watch it nonstop. So my thoughts are with the people of Paris tonight.

The First Listen: Holiday Wishes - Idina Menzel

What do you think of when you think of Christmas? There are the warm, cinnamon scented candles wafting through the air, the sweetness of the hot cocoa, cakes and pies baking in the oven and twinkling lights coming from the Christmas tree, complete with packages wrapped in shiny paper. What are we forgetting in this scene? Christmas songs, of course! If you are looking for something that combines the holiday classics you know by heart with a spin of originality, you should check out Idina Menzel's new album, Holiday Wishes.




You may know Menzel from the immensely popular movie Frozen, but she has many other credits including a number of Broadway shows. What Menzel does for Christmas music is provide that voice we all know and love to help celebrate holiday classics in a fun, charming way. There are the songs that everyone knows, such as "Do You Hear What I Here?" and "Silent Night," but there are also some other, maybe surprising tracks, such as "River." She also piars up with Michael Buble to sing "Baby It's Cold Outside" with all of the charm that has graced so many other duos with this tune.



If you want a new way to celebrate your holiday traditions, Holiday Wishes is something that you will want to check out. You can purchase it through iTunes and Amazon.


**I participated in the Idina Menzel Holiday Wishes album review program as a member of One2One Network. I was provided an album to review but all opinions are my own.

Enjoying the Pre-Holiday Days

Christmas time is always a fun time. It can even put a smile on my face, occasionally. I'm just so glad that all the prep work is done. It really helps to start Christmas shopping in October, that's for sure. Everything is bought, wrapped, under the decorated tree and now I can sit back and write to my heart's content for the next eight days or so.

Revision may also be a big part of this next week because I know that I have way too many unfinished projects. The only goal I have for 2014 is to publish something--anything. Poetry, novels, shorts stories--all of these are up in the air. It's the job of revision to bring them all back down to earth. Since I'm still aiming toward the self publishing route, there is absolutely no reason to get stuck in that pre-launch phase any longer. Or get stuck living where I'm living any longer (okay, so I have two goals for 2014), but that's a problem for another day. Right now, I'm just enjoying being a writer--wherever that happens to take me.

Why I Will Not Let NaNoWriMo Kick My Butt This Year

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. When life gives you a ridiculous deadline to write a novel, you take on that challenge with a smile on your face and very big cup of coffee.

According to my history on nanowrimo.org, this is my ninth year doing the event. Every year, I fail to reach the 50,000 word mark that tells you that you are a champion, at least in your own eyes and that of your writer friends. Usually it's around day fifteen when I haven't worked on the novel in a week that I tend to give up. Although the novel ideas usually still have plenty of plot twists available, I stop seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

But not this year. I can't quit. I need a win.

The need isn't purely about writing a novel. It's more like a need a win in any part of my life right now. Working outside of my cramped little home office didn't work out. Finding writing jobs that pay a decent amount of money is hard; finding that same work between November and mid-January is nearly impossible. Life outside of work isn't much better. Certain family members will be holiday zombies for the next eight weeks with marathon sessions of watching sappy Hallmark Channel Christmas movies. And to top off this lovely day, I found out someone ate all of my mozzarella cheese (okay... that one could have been me). That is why I'm not giving up this year.

Life can throw a lot at you all at once. When that happens, any glimmer of hope is better than nothing. That's why I'm throwing all my effort into winning. On December 1st I will look at my 50,000+ words and pat myself on the back. Then, reality will set in, and the fear of revision will start creeping up. The fact that I haven't been searching for enough work for the past 30 days will also rear its ugly head. But I'll have a full first draft of a novel. And everything else will work itself out.

Where did you go?

It's a startling thing to wake up on a Monday morning and find a freelancing landscape drier than the Sahara. Usually, the work droughts come in around December and last until the middle of January. When it comes to freelance work, I don't want to have a Christmas in July special. No thanks. Bring the work back.

Hoping that this only lasts a couple of days, but whether its a couple of days or more, I do have the novel and its marketing to work on. At least I'm not sitting around with idle hands. I'm just not getting the instant gratification of payment. And of course, I'm still spending way more time than I need to playing around on my new phone. But, that can come in handy when I'm ready to launch some more of my advertising and other good stuff for the novel. 

Merry Christmas!

Although in this house the presents were opened yesterday and I totally have to hit work hard today, I just wanted to pause and wish all my readers Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Take some time to enjoy family and fatten yourself up with food, but remember that tomorrow brings a new day for writing--so limit the food coma to just one day!

A Little Luck Doesn't Hurt

I received a pleasant surprise this weekend. Typically I never win contests and giveaways (if you don't count the ones from Goodreads), but I won a free gift card this weekend. But I can now tell you that money does not buy happiness. In fact, it's a little frustrating. While it was great that I won, I got to the store and just didn't know what I wanted. Nothing appealed to me. I did get some clothes and a few things for the family, but it was really hard to try and spend money without wasting half the day--not that I'm really complaining. I am grateful for the luck. It's just too bad it wasn't a pile of cash handed to me. That might have saved me an hour or two.

So, since I spent too much time shopping this weekend, I'm hitting work hard this week. I know that things will dry up closer to Christmas, so I'm planning ahead for that. I'm also lining up those drafts and prioritizing since I know I'll have some free time again eventually. For one of the drafts, I'm going to have to choose whether I want to send in something that may not be ready or just miss the deadline and keep working on it. The deadline is the 21st of this month, so we'll see how that goes.

Soon-to-end and New Deals

Okay peoples... I wanted to let you know that there is a deal I offer on this blog that's only available for 8 MORE DAYS! This deal is perfect for those that want to boost traffic to their blog, website or other online presence. Check it out:



These next deals are new and will be found under the Hot Deals! tab of the blog. But you can also check them out right now:



And last but not least, hurry up and get a custom image of Santa in your home for the kiddies!!:

 

Early Start on the Holidays

This morning I was surfing the Internet while I was waiting for work (not always a good thing!). I don't know how I got on the idea to look up stuff about Christmas already, but once I started looking through photo Christmas cards, I was hooked! I can't remember the last time that I got a really good Christmas card – or gave one, for that matter. Since the introduction of email to practically everyone I know, people think that they can leave a short “Merry Xmas!” on my Facebook page and that's it. But with photo cards for Christmas, I get to see what my friends look like, how big their families are getting, and maybe even a cute snapshot of their pets.

This year I want to send out holiday photo cards, both online and through the mail. Even though I do not have a family of my own or even a pet to brag about, I am sure that someone in my extended family has not viewed a photograph of me since my high school days. Those days are quickly fading into the background! It will be a nice change of pace and maybe the trend will catch on.

Such is this time of year

I'm getting tired easily these days. After taking about 26 hours off for various Christmas activities, I feel like I'm dragging when I sit down to write. I get my work done in a reasonable time, but each second seems like it has been an hour or more.

Christmas was great. My nephews had a great time opening their presents (well, the one who stayed awake did) and no one really got on each other's nerves. And, it was the first Christmas my parents didn't have to host, so they absolutely loved that. I'm just hoping my turn doesn't come too soon. I don't really like having to throw plans together. I'm so used to everyone else telling me where to show up and when. I'm spoiled!

I'm also getting into my goals for the new year. The writing goals are obviously more important than anything else, but I also have a few personal goals that I want to take care of. I am going to include the cliche resolution of losing weight in the coming year. I will probably measure in inches rather than pounds because my goal is to fit into a certain size, not drop pounds. But I'll write all about that at the end of the week.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Finally, there's snow on the ground here in Indiana. While all my friends and family go “bleh, snow” I love it! Of course, I'm the only one that does not have to drive in it on a daily basis. My commute is two steps from the bed to the desk chair.

Even though there are a lot of holiday distractions, I'm still working hard. It's very difficult to take a real long vacation on a freelancer's salary, so my vacations end up being about eight hours to stuff my face with holiday food, open a few presents, and take some pictures. So with that in mind, I am working on a lot of articles, and the first one of these is The Basics of Accidental Injury Insurance. Anyone that owns a business or works with groups of volunteers should check it out.

I took a few pictures of my new writing desk, but I've completely misplaced the camera, so when I do find it, I will be sure to post them up here. It's much better than working on top of an end table, sitting in a recliner. Although I must admit the recliner was more comfortable than the kitchen chair I'm using now!

For all of my readers, I hope you have a wonderful holiday (whichever one that may be) and I'll see you next week with arms full of Christmas tales.

Have you shopped for the writer in your life?

I saw many great blog posts and articles last week about getting the perfect gift for writers. I wanted to write my own list, but why mess with something that works? Instead, I'll point you to some of the most helpful writer gift lists I have read over the past week. And remember... you can never go wrong with giving time. That's the gift that writers want the most!!

If you want some other gift ideas for writers, check out:

All I Want for Christmas
Gifts for Writers 2009
Gifts for Writers
Persevering Pens: Gifts for Writers

Trying to get back

Getting back to a normal routine after a holiday is really hard for me. Work is slow, so I feel unaccomplished. There's still the stench of leftover turkey in the refrigerator. It suddenly got cold in the Midwest, so my toes are freezing. But, I have my health, a job, and a roof so I still consider myself pretty lucky.

And I made my final purchase for the year -- shoes for my Christmas dress. The dress is navy blue with some pink/fuchsia flowers on it, so I thought that these would go perfectly:



I chose the pink ones. They look like shiny wrapping paper and should give me that little pop of color my outfit needs (I definitely watch too much TLC). And now my credit card will be hidden until the new year. THere's nothing else that I really need anyway. Shopping (especially online) is just another excuse to avoid writing, and we certainly don't want that!

Speaking of writing, NANOWRIMO is another bust this year. I haven't written since before Thanksgiving and I'm pretty sure I can't get through more than 10K tonight. The one thing I can pat myself on the back for is getting past the 20K mark. First time ever and I hope this means I will have a better chance at winning next year.

The Holidays Are Upon Us

I just spent two hours wrapping Christmas presents. It's fun at first, but once you get down to the last few, paper starts ripping, scissors stop working, and you question why you ever bother in the first place. But I'm one of those people that make the effort even when you know the other person won't, so my living room is filled with presents. I probably spent too much in total, but per person the average price is very reasonable.

And if I have some more last minute things to get, I'll probably check out Amazon's Black Friday Deals. Anyone who reads this blog will recall how much I love shopping online. This is just another excuse to do so!

Work is going well, but I'm having to put up a fight for what I want. Everyone else is hungrily grabbing work for a padded paycheck. Since I already spent my money, I'm just trying to fill my bank accounts again, but it's not looking too promising -- at least this week. After Black Friday, things should calm down again and a lot more work should be available. So if I have free time, I'll sneak in a few words to add to NANOWRIMO. At least it keep me writing!

Two Hands

This weekend has been one hectic ride. I've been shopping (apparently I still didn't have everything for Christmas) babysitting for 2, and I have still managed to stay ahead on NANOWRIMO. On the other hand, this week probably won't allow any free time for writing with work, Thanksgiving prep, and the all-important Christmas prep as soon as I have digested my dessert. But I still have nothing to complain about this year because I have passed 36K on my novel. The last two years I could make it above 20K, so I'm making progress. I don't know whether to blame it on the fact that I'm now officially a responsible adult or that I just have that much free time!

Out sick

The last couple of days I was temporarily out sick. It was just a cold, but I stayed away from anything that wasn't strictly work related: Twitter, Facebook, this blog, etc. But now I'm back! I can breathe out of my nose and I'm ready to pick up some of the slack. I have to get my little behind in gear -- Christmas is fast approaching and I need any extra money I can get. :)

Early Christmas

I just got back from having Christmas with the family. It was fun, although my nephew is extremely rambunctious and loves to play Spiderman and Batman. Depending on which one it it, I have to be either Bat Girl or "bad guy." But let me tell you, that kid can really throw a punch!

And the pictures I took are just too cute. But now I'm back at my cold apartment until I head back to my parents house on Christmas Eve. Oh, the joys of holiday traveling.

Christmas Shopping

I'm sad. I have 99% of my Christmas shopping done. I know it would be total hell to shop closer to Christmas, but that really is when you can get the better deals. And that's when the deals are so good that you don't feel as guilty when you buy something that you really don't need. I have no excuse and plenty of guilt when I do that kind of shopping online, which I have banned myself from until I reach a specific savings goal... trust me, that'll take some hard work with my winter gas bills!

I'm also going to be trying out a new schedule beginning next week. Which might be hard, considering it's the end of an article cycle and technically I will have little or no work to do, at least for the first half of the week. But I am optimistic. And I really need to learn how to work eight hours in a row. You know, just in case this whole writer thing doesn't pan out. Eh, who am I kidding? I'll never give up writing, even if I starve (which, at the moment, I can afford doing). And you kiddies out there shouldn't give up on your dreams either!

Ready for Black Friday?

It might seem to be a little early to think about Black Friday and Christmas shopping just yet, but there are also so many people who are looking out for bargains that this is the only time of the year when they shop. They wait excitedly for those Black Friday ads in their newspaper that tell them just what they can expect when the doors open early Friday morning. It is really like a kid in a candy store, to use the old adage.

There are so many ads for black friday that you get the week before the big event—when all the people across the country go to look for after-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas blowout sales. Nine times out of ten, the advertised products sell out within the first hour. If you want to get a leg up on these great deals, you can visit a site that will show you all of the ads for Black Friday before everyone else gets them in their newspapers. This is one of the best ways to plan ahead for your shopping adventure.

And if you are looking to get this information first, you will want to sign up to email alerts from this site so that when new ads are posted for your area, you will be the first to know. The site is very organizes, giving you the comfort and ease of finding useful information for your holiday shopping. And the holidays are closer than you think. If you are not thinking about shopping yet, you should at least begin thinking about saving up some cash to get those big ticket items when they are half off.

I always like to check out Best Buy and Toys R Us for door busters on Black Friday. I have a little nephew, so the toy store is a given. But I also like to get the best deals on electronics, so Best Buy is another place I make sure to go to first.