You know what that means.
Yup! It’s FRIDAY!
…Go ahead and cheer. I know you want to 😉
So, my week wasn’t quite as productive as I would’ve liked it to be on the writing front. I had to take some time out of my regular scheduled programming to apply for a substitute teaching license. I wasn’t planning on doing this, but…
Okay, so long story short: My sister tried to convince me to apply for a teaching post in the Marketing Department at a local high school. For a few days, I seriously considered it. Then I realized teaching isn’t a job change. It’s a career change, and I’m not looking for a new career. I have one as a writer and a pursuer of full-time authorship.
I explained all of this to my sister and she completely understood. But she still urged me to apply for a substitute license, just in case I needed some extra cash or suddenly found myself without a job. I agreed and decided to go through the nitpicky application process.
Yeah, that was a blast. But, I’m glad I did it. It’s always nice to have some kind of cushion in case things fall apart unexpectedly.
Another thing that stole some precious manuscript time this week was on the sillier side. As most of you know, I’m an avid participant in the NYC Midnight writing challenges. Tonight at midnight, the Flash Fiction Challenge kicks off.
To celebrate, one of my friends/fellow competitors decided to make a funny “Flash” themed video to post on the competition’s forum. It’s mostly a fun way to get writers pumped up and excited for the challenge, and to create a sense of community. A few days ago, my friend emailed me and asked if I’d like to contribute some silly/beautiful/clean “Flash” type photos and videos.
Being the “Yes Girl” that I am, I said, “Sure! No problem.”
Yet, as I began taking photos, I realized something: I STINK at making come-hither eyes and sultry expressions and anything else of the sort. Worse, I kept bursting out laughing at myself, so most of my shots were useless.
After a solid hour of trying and failing, I finally gave up and sent my friend what I had. Most of them were of me puckering, trying to look alluring (haha!), and cringing at myself. Yeah, I’m awesome.
Go and laugh. It’s cool. I’m still laughing at myself.
Anyway, as I mentioned, tonight the Flash Fiction Challenge 2014 kicks off. At midnight, I’ll be assigned a genre, location, and object, and then I’ll have 48-hours to write a 1,000 word story.
*BIG, DEEP BREATH*
To be honest, I’m not sure how I’ll fair. My brain is so wrapped up in my manuscript right now, I’m afraid I won’t be able to snap out of that story and jump into another. If I receive a difficult genre like political satire, comedy, or–God forbid–romance, I might just curl up and surrender…Okay, that’s a lie. I never surrender without putting up some kind of fight. I guess I’ll just cross my fingers and pray to God for the best. Of course, your positive vibes will be much appreciated too.
So, in honor of my terrible fear of writer’s block striking this weekend, here is today’s Friday Funny. Enjoy!
How was your week? Is anyone else participating in the NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge? Let me know! We can cheer each other on 🙂
Jen’s Weekly Roundup
In case you missed my posts from earlier this week, here you go!
Music Monday – You Give Love A Bad Name – Bon Jovi
One Year Blogiversary – How My Blog Saved Me
Photo credits:
http://mrwgifs.com/jack-black-salutes-with-passion-in-school-of-rock-movie-gif/
http://gifstumblr.com/cool/get-outta-my-way-1250
http://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard/MjAxMy02YmNiNDFhY2MwM2Q0MDQ4
http://www.theredheadbaker.com/pizza-ground-lamb-leeks-rosemary/
It’s my Mom’s fault! Blame her. She convinced me to skip work to go on a random road trip to the mountains. (Yeah, my mom told me to ditch…She’s such a positive influence 😉 Kidding!)
We windy-weaved through the Rocky Mountains all day long, making stops in Vail, Avon, Edwards, Minturn, Leadville, and lastly–and most importantly–Idaho Springs. Now, I’ve been to Idaho Springs plenty of times, but I’ve never really explored it. And I needed to if I was going to use it as a location in my story.
We even decided to eat at the restaurant I’d picked for my characters to dine at, and ordered the same dish as them. It was fun. And exciting. It’s always fun and exciting for me to walk along the same path as my characters. It brings them to life in a whole new way. It helps me “see” them better. I can look out and “watch” them strolling down the sidewalk, or laughing inside the coffee shop, or staring up into the sky and reciting the words I’ve written for them…
Anyways, that was the main highlight of my week. As for my manuscript, I’ve just hit the halfway mark, and once I finish the current chapter I’m working on, I will be embarking upon that “
How was your week? Anyone else play hookie from school/work? Or was I the only rebel out there? 😉
In a nutshell, my week was similar to the last few: calm and productive. I’ve continued traipsing through the revisions for my YA manuscript, and despite my ongoing sluggish pace, I feel good about them. As planned, I sent my beta reader the first five chapters of my story, and she gave them the thumbs up.
I will be sending the next two chapters to her tomorrow. I’m not as happy with them–something just feels off…Hopefully my beta reader will be able pinpoint what the problem is. Or maybe I’m just over thinking things and need to carry on. Which I will, as always. 🙂
Oh well. As the saying goes, “Dreams don’t work unless you do”, right?
How was your week? Are you feeling stressed? Or you are kicking back and enjoying some fun in the sun? I won’t resent you if you are…Okay, okay. I might resent you a little 😉
Sheesh, it might be time for a vacation. I’m thinking somewhere on a beach. With a good book. And crashing waves. And, what the hey, let’s throw in a rainbow for fun, yeah?
Man, I wish I could repeat the trip I took last summer to Captiva, Florida. It was perrr-fect. Books, waves, rainbows, and all.
Okay, okay. Time to stop fantasizing about a vacation that isn’t going to happen–unfortunately–and get down to business!
Thanks, Jennifer 😉
First off, I received the final results for the 
More than achieving this seemingly impossible feat, I’m proud of the three stories I wrote for this competition (“Chasing Monsters,” “Over the Edge,” “Into Paradise”). Not only did I work extra hard to make each one entertaining, unique, and meaningful, but I forced myself to step outside my comfort zone and take on topics that were scary, disturbing, and/or heartbreaking. I truly learned so much about myself as a writer. More importantly, I learned that if a story demands to be told, then I need to check my insecurities and fears at the door and tell them. I shouldn’t hold back. I need to take the plunge and just go for it!
Yeeee-ha!
KIDDING!!!
I began working on draft 2 yesterday and…ugh. Guys, there’s A LOT of things to fix. A lot, a lot. But, it’s okay. I’m eager to roll up my sleeves and get to work. And now that life has finally calmed down, and the NYC Midnight Challenge hoopla is over, I can dedicate all of my energy to my revisions.
How was your week? I’d love to hear!
Well, I’m not gonna lie. It’s been a rough week on the manuscript front, ladies and gentlemen. I only managed to knock out around 9,300 words…Yeah, I know that’s better than nothing, but I’d planned on writing A LOT more than that. Honestly, I just couldn’t get my act together. Between a draining allergy attack earlier in the week, and a never ending pile of ads at work, it’s been a nightmare finding the time and energy to sit down and write.
What makes this even tougher is I’ve reached the dreaded middle portion of my story. Historically, this is when I slam into a brick wall, even when I do have momentum carrying me. And, historically, this is when I give up and go allll the way back to chapter one to begin revising. However, I made a deal with myself at the start of this draft. I told myself, “You’re not allowed to start over. No matter how hard it gets or how many obstacles try to trip you up, you gotta push through.” AKA, NO STARTING OVER ALLOWED!
How was your week? Are you on a roll? Or are you feeling sluggish and “blah” like me? If you’re on the blah side, all I can say is push through it. That’s what I’m gonna do here.
Overall, I had a good week…though, much of it was spent recouping from last weekend, after the 
To be honest, I wasn’t sure what people would think of my story. I based the entire thing off a rather sensitive topic, so I knew there was a risk of rubbing someone the wrong way. But, so far, people have told me I handled the topic in a respectful, gentle, even hopeful manner, so I’m pleased. That was my intention, after all. In fact, I purposefully kept my setting for Into Paradise vague, even misleading. I didn’t want people to be focused on where/when this was happening. I wanted them to be focused on my protagonist and the difficult choice she had to make.
It doesn’t really matter. Like I said, the setting wasn’t the focus. And, either way, people have told me Into Paradise is a heart-wrenching, yet touching story. Even comforting. So, I’m good 🙂
Anyways, now that this harrowing short story journey has come to an end, it’s time for me to put all of my focus back into my manuscript. Unfortunately, due to making it this far in the NYC Midnight Short Story Challenge, I doubt I’ll be meeting my spring deadline for a first draft 😦 But don’t worry. I’m bound and determined to have a solid draft ready to query by the end of summer. So, it’s time to roll up my sleeves, stomp on those 
How was your week? Better tell me now! I’m going into the zone with my manuscript starting tomorrow and will be in la-la land for awhile.
Jen's Pen Den 