Literary Enema
I am almost done with the latest novel draft, but put it aside for this week because I have a freelance jobbie due on Friday. After I turn that in, I'll get back to work and it shouldn't take me long to finish. I find myself itching to start other projects. I've written a few short snatches of prose for some novella ideas I have and I even shocked myself by writing a poem. I'm an atrocious poet, but I think my brain is just so happy to have something else to think about it's having a little fun.
Tuesday
Friday
In the Neighborhood
We live in a cute, formerly more scary, slightly improving but still occasionally sketchy neighborhood. None of this was apparent on first glance. We drove through the 'hood with our realtor and liked what we saw. Most of the houses were built in the '60s (ours was built in '61), with one section of newer houses from the '80s. Many of our neighbors are the original owners and slowly the neighborhood is changing as people (ugh, I hate to say this) die or move to nursing homes. The neighborhood is gradually becoming younger.
Houses are generally well-maintained, people are very friendly, and overall it's a great place to live. But we border a not-so-great area on one side; there are two great areas on another. So things are interesting and we hear our share of gun fire. A few other odd incidents have happened as well, including waking up one morning around four a.m. to a woman screaming bloody murder as she walked down the street (she was totally alone), and, on another night, hearing two people argue over a knife after they had crashed their car. Did I mention this was in our front yard? Anyway, I've freaked out on occasion, but there are some good things happening, too.
Our area has received some money to begin improvements on the two roads that make up the nearest major intersection near our house. We've heard the plans and I think the improvements are going to make a big difference. It'll be right purty.
There are some new town homes being built, which, while ugly, may help improve the quality of the stores in the shopping center near our home because there will be more customers.
One of those flagship Whole Foods stores is going to be built in Lakewood, about a ten-minute drive away.
Our neighborhood also got bond money passed for both a library (which might be within walking distance!) and a rec center. Right now the hold up is whether to build them in the same facility, or build two.
They're eventually going to build a veloway nearby as well.
So, there are some positive developments on the horizon, some that will make living in our area nicer.
We live in a cute, formerly more scary, slightly improving but still occasionally sketchy neighborhood. None of this was apparent on first glance. We drove through the 'hood with our realtor and liked what we saw. Most of the houses were built in the '60s (ours was built in '61), with one section of newer houses from the '80s. Many of our neighbors are the original owners and slowly the neighborhood is changing as people (ugh, I hate to say this) die or move to nursing homes. The neighborhood is gradually becoming younger.
Houses are generally well-maintained, people are very friendly, and overall it's a great place to live. But we border a not-so-great area on one side; there are two great areas on another. So things are interesting and we hear our share of gun fire. A few other odd incidents have happened as well, including waking up one morning around four a.m. to a woman screaming bloody murder as she walked down the street (she was totally alone), and, on another night, hearing two people argue over a knife after they had crashed their car. Did I mention this was in our front yard? Anyway, I've freaked out on occasion, but there are some good things happening, too.
Our area has received some money to begin improvements on the two roads that make up the nearest major intersection near our house. We've heard the plans and I think the improvements are going to make a big difference. It'll be right purty.
There are some new town homes being built, which, while ugly, may help improve the quality of the stores in the shopping center near our home because there will be more customers.
One of those flagship Whole Foods stores is going to be built in Lakewood, about a ten-minute drive away.
Our neighborhood also got bond money passed for both a library (which might be within walking distance!) and a rec center. Right now the hold up is whether to build them in the same facility, or build two.
They're eventually going to build a veloway nearby as well.
So, there are some positive developments on the horizon, some that will make living in our area nicer.
Wednesday
Treading Water
Lately, it seems like I’m working hard but not really getting anywhere. I don’t feel much forward momentum. When you have an infant, you have a lot more chores-y type things to do, but rather than resulting in a clean house, folded laundry, etc. you are barely keeping it together. This isn’t a complaint; it’s an observation. We tend to have clean clothes, a clean floor, hot food, and clean bathrooms, but not all at the same time. That’s just the way it is during this phase of life.
Unfortunately, I sort of feel that way in all areas of my life right now. Maybe that’s also to be expected at this stage. I still haven’t figured out how to work out regularly. Right now, my schedule is, wake up around 6:30-7, get ready, work from 8:30-5, get home around 5:30-6, hang out with Z for half an hour, give her a bath, put her to bed, eat dinner, watch an hour of TV or read or hang out with Nate, go to bed. Wake up 1-2 times during the night to feed the Z-monster. Repeat. I take random walks here and there, and try to go to yoga during my lunch hour once or twice a week. I feel soooo much better when I have a regular workout schedule but right now that regularity is eluding me.
I think I could be more vigilant about working out, but I am trying to finish revising the novel. So if I do motivate at night, it’s to read and revise. I think I mentioned I’d cut 110 pages of the 150 an agent had recommended. I’ve now figured out how to lose the final 40 pages, by cutting five chapters. I’m fine with losing two of the chapters. Two others are breaking my heart a little (funny thing is, I don’t need them for the storyline, per se, which maybe means they can go, but they are great “extras” and contain some of my favorite writing), and one chapter I could go either way on. So … I’m finishing this read as I debate those cuts. Then I have to enter in the changes and I’ll be done with this draft and ready to send out again.
This stage is hard. Maybe it’s time to “murder my darlings.” Or maybe that little voice saying, “no, don’t kill me” should be listened to. Not sure. So I wait. I have a few days to decide, anyway. And, worst-case scenario, I can have the leaner, meaner version, and another version with the two or three chapters restored.
The hardest thing of all is that I’m starting to wonder if this has been my “learning novel” and perhaps isn’t strong enough to see the light of publication. I’m entering that “I’m done” stage where I just don’t feel like looking at it anymore. I’m on draft 9, by the way. Miss Snark once said: “Finish your novel. Then, as you let it sit and percolate (cause you DO NOT SEND IT OUT before you've let it sit and percolate) you can work on short stories. Then when you've done all ten drafts of the novel that you need to do (no, I'm not kidding), you query.” So maybe I’m close, right? Either way, I’m going to start working on my novella ideas soon. I need the fresh story lines because right now I feel like a dog with a dead chicken tied around my neck. A not very fresh chicken.
But, as I whine and moan, Zoe is great. Last night as we were playing, she rolled over a couple of times. She can sit for short periods by herself, unsupported. She has a hilarious giggle and is starting to enjoy peek-a-boo games and tickling. She recognizes and smiles at the dog. She’s also started to grab things out of my hands. And after a few hard weeks of a sleep regression, we seem to be coming out on the other side. For the past two nights, she’s woken up only once to eat, then gotten up around 6:30 for the day. I hope this continues because that means eventually she will not be waking up to eat during the night at all (please, I can dream).
We had a friend visit for the weekend and he said something funny. We were suctioning her stuffy nose so she could breathe better and Z was complaining about it. “I hadn’t heard her cry until you stuck something up her nose,” he said. She’s in a pretty good mood most of the time, and she laughs and smiles like it’s a party every day. So I think I’ll make like Z and have a good time until this draft is behind me. It’s pretty close.
Lately, it seems like I’m working hard but not really getting anywhere. I don’t feel much forward momentum. When you have an infant, you have a lot more chores-y type things to do, but rather than resulting in a clean house, folded laundry, etc. you are barely keeping it together. This isn’t a complaint; it’s an observation. We tend to have clean clothes, a clean floor, hot food, and clean bathrooms, but not all at the same time. That’s just the way it is during this phase of life.
Unfortunately, I sort of feel that way in all areas of my life right now. Maybe that’s also to be expected at this stage. I still haven’t figured out how to work out regularly. Right now, my schedule is, wake up around 6:30-7, get ready, work from 8:30-5, get home around 5:30-6, hang out with Z for half an hour, give her a bath, put her to bed, eat dinner, watch an hour of TV or read or hang out with Nate, go to bed. Wake up 1-2 times during the night to feed the Z-monster. Repeat. I take random walks here and there, and try to go to yoga during my lunch hour once or twice a week. I feel soooo much better when I have a regular workout schedule but right now that regularity is eluding me.
I think I could be more vigilant about working out, but I am trying to finish revising the novel. So if I do motivate at night, it’s to read and revise. I think I mentioned I’d cut 110 pages of the 150 an agent had recommended. I’ve now figured out how to lose the final 40 pages, by cutting five chapters. I’m fine with losing two of the chapters. Two others are breaking my heart a little (funny thing is, I don’t need them for the storyline, per se, which maybe means they can go, but they are great “extras” and contain some of my favorite writing), and one chapter I could go either way on. So … I’m finishing this read as I debate those cuts. Then I have to enter in the changes and I’ll be done with this draft and ready to send out again.
This stage is hard. Maybe it’s time to “murder my darlings.” Or maybe that little voice saying, “no, don’t kill me” should be listened to. Not sure. So I wait. I have a few days to decide, anyway. And, worst-case scenario, I can have the leaner, meaner version, and another version with the two or three chapters restored.
The hardest thing of all is that I’m starting to wonder if this has been my “learning novel” and perhaps isn’t strong enough to see the light of publication. I’m entering that “I’m done” stage where I just don’t feel like looking at it anymore. I’m on draft 9, by the way. Miss Snark once said: “Finish your novel. Then, as you let it sit and percolate (cause you DO NOT SEND IT OUT before you've let it sit and percolate) you can work on short stories. Then when you've done all ten drafts of the novel that you need to do (no, I'm not kidding), you query.” So maybe I’m close, right? Either way, I’m going to start working on my novella ideas soon. I need the fresh story lines because right now I feel like a dog with a dead chicken tied around my neck. A not very fresh chicken.
But, as I whine and moan, Zoe is great. Last night as we were playing, she rolled over a couple of times. She can sit for short periods by herself, unsupported. She has a hilarious giggle and is starting to enjoy peek-a-boo games and tickling. She recognizes and smiles at the dog. She’s also started to grab things out of my hands. And after a few hard weeks of a sleep regression, we seem to be coming out on the other side. For the past two nights, she’s woken up only once to eat, then gotten up around 6:30 for the day. I hope this continues because that means eventually she will not be waking up to eat during the night at all (please, I can dream).
We had a friend visit for the weekend and he said something funny. We were suctioning her stuffy nose so she could breathe better and Z was complaining about it. “I hadn’t heard her cry until you stuck something up her nose,” he said. She’s in a pretty good mood most of the time, and she laughs and smiles like it’s a party every day. So I think I’ll make like Z and have a good time until this draft is behind me. It’s pretty close.
Tuesday
Doh
Lately, Zoe had been doing really well with the sleeping thing. Over the weekend we had some setbacks, which I chalked up to doing a lot of socializing (new people and places seem to throw off her schedule a bit) and also to a possible sleep regression.
She's been really squirmy lately, way more than usual. For the first time I was afraid I might drop her if she bucked while I wasn't paying attention. I'd noticed that she was doing this weird chomping thing on her pacifier (not on me, thankfully) and also chewing on her hands a lot. She was also doing a very odd motion with her jaw. I pointed these things out to Nate on Sunday and then lalalalalala, went on about my day.
Yesterday the nice ladies at daycare told Nate that Zoe is teething. Ahhhh, that's why she isn't sleeping, is acting a little fussy, and doing all those weird things with her mouth. It's not like these babies come with a handbook. Oh wait, yes, they do and I have one. Another slow lap on the parenting learning curve.
Lately, Zoe had been doing really well with the sleeping thing. Over the weekend we had some setbacks, which I chalked up to doing a lot of socializing (new people and places seem to throw off her schedule a bit) and also to a possible sleep regression.
She's been really squirmy lately, way more than usual. For the first time I was afraid I might drop her if she bucked while I wasn't paying attention. I'd noticed that she was doing this weird chomping thing on her pacifier (not on me, thankfully) and also chewing on her hands a lot. She was also doing a very odd motion with her jaw. I pointed these things out to Nate on Sunday and then lalalalalala, went on about my day.
Yesterday the nice ladies at daycare told Nate that Zoe is teething. Ahhhh, that's why she isn't sleeping, is acting a little fussy, and doing all those weird things with her mouth. It's not like these babies come with a handbook. Oh wait, yes, they do and I have one. Another slow lap on the parenting learning curve.