Brrrrr! Denver is freezing this week, everyone. Like, crank up the heaters, open the bathroom and kitchen cabinets, and constantly run the faucets–freezing.
For those of you who don’t know, Colorado’s weather tends to go like this:
Mother Nature:
Five minutes later…
No joke! The weather here is a tumultuous roller coaster. Sunny one minute, a blizzard the next. Within 24-hours, the temperatures can plummet 60+ degrees. That’s what happened this week. Last Sunday, it was a sunny and beautiful 75 degrees. By Monday evening, it was a snowy and freezing 15–and dropping. By midweek, Denver had nosedived below zero, with a windchill of negative 35 degrees.
NEGATIVE 35!
Ugh.
I actually took Wednesday off of work because of the frigid temperatures and icy roads. The only problem was my car. If it sits too long in the cold without moving, the battery dies. So, I was forced to leave the warmth of my house multiple times to warm up the engine…and I’m positive every time I did this, my neighbors snickered, frowned, and laughed at what I was wearing:
Honestly, I looked like a walking, talking, shivering marshmallow as I executed Operation Save Car Battery on Wednesday. The repeated process went something like this: Step outside. Waddle, waddle, waddle. Unlock car. Fall inside. Flip ignition. Sit, wait, freeze. Turn off engine. Heave self out of car. Slip. Gain balance. Lock car. Waddle, waddle, waddle back into house.
Oh, I love this time of the year. 😉
Anyway, besides freezing my booty off and looking like a puffed up moron, I spent the week rereading the second draft of my manuscript and making edit notes for a third draft. Upon finishing it, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the first half of the story. The second half…
Well, I won’t say it’s bad, but it definitely needs a lot of work. My characters lost their edge, the dialogue wasn’t as snappy, the plot got foggy, the actual writing sloppy…Ugh. I think part of the problem is I began working faster and less diligently as I moved along. I wasn’t perfecting my later chapters like I did my earlier ones.
The good news is there is a story there, and I know what needs to be done to get it where I want it to go. So now I just need to roll up my sleeves, take a deep breath, and dig into a third draft.
I probably won’t be starting my third draft for a couple of days since I’m attending my first writing workshop tomorrow: the 2014 Colorado Writing Workshop with presenter and instructor Chuck Sambuchino. Eeks! I’m really nervous, but also really excited about this event. Not only am I going to get the chance to learn a ton about the publishing world, but I’ll be able to meet a ton of other writers from the Denver region.
I’ll be sure to fill you in about my experience at the workshop next week!
Okay, enough chitchat. Here are some Friday Funnies to brighten your day. Sort of random this week, but I laughed so maybe you will too? Enjoy!
How was your week? How’s NaNoWriMo going for those of you participating?
Jen’s Weekly Roundup
In case you missed my posts from earlier this week, here you go!
Music Monday – Defying Gravity – Kerry Ellis
Photo credits:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/erinchack/things-people-who-are-always-cold-understand
http://www.buzzfeed.com/leonoraepstein/disney-characters-who-really-need-to-see-a-psychiatrist
http://thegoggindiaries.com/2014/01/06/i-hate-winter/
https://www.tumblr.com/search/waddle%20of%20penguins
http://bluesdanceworld.com/2014/01/02/jane-russell-and-marilyn-monroe-in-gentlemen-prefer-blondes/
Jen's Pen Den 
The writing workshop sounds like an excellent opportunity! I would love to attend one some time. I’m sure they have them in Chicago occasionally…. 🙂
Stay warm! I don’t envy you the cold at all! (It’s about 25 here and I’m not liking it much.)
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Yes, I’m hoping to learn a lot tomorrow. It should be great 🙂
25 degrees is still freezing! What is with Jack Frost arriving so early this year? Brrrr! Well, throw on some extra layers and stay warm!
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