Celebrate the Small Things: 9/27

Minions from "Despicable Me"

My week has been uneventful.  I'm still working on writing projects, doing some critiques for my group, commenting on blogs, and trying to keep up with chores.  The chores (yuck!) usually get done last (if at all).

I NEED MINIONS!!!

Since I don't have any yet, I'm celebrating the fact that I've managed to think up some effort-saving steps and multitasking I can do to save myself time, like cooking large amounts and freezing some (stop laughing all you housewives who've known this for years), and solving plot problems while I clean.

If you had minions, what would you have them do?   

What would you do with the free time?

This post is part of VikLit's blog hop, Celebrate the Small Things. To be part of this blog hop, all you have to do is follow the link and put your name on the Mr.Linky list, and then be sure to post every Friday about something you're grateful  for that week.  It can be about writing or family or school or general life.  This is the funnest and easiest blog hop ever! 

Celebrate the Small Things: 9/20

For all those interested in the publishing process, here's an approximation of my journey so far:

1) First, there's the book contract with that mind-boggling legalese. If you're lucky, an agent can lead you through the minefield -- otherwise, just close your eyes, take the plunge, and SIGN IT!

2) Someone called a Content Editor will read your cherished baby and tell you it's WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!  When negotiating what to rewrite, remember that honey catches more flies than vinegar and be as polite and flexible as you can. Don't burn bridges; you may want to work with these people again.

3) After the content changes are finished, someone called a Line Editor or Copy Editor will take on the job of fixing your grammar, punctuation, spelling, and making sure your novel maintains continuity. When Sammy has blond hair on page 11, but shows up on page 30 as Sami with brown hair, your editor has to catch it. You can end up feeling like a pretty big dummy at this stage.

4) When your line edits are done, the cover artist takes over. They'll read the blurb you prepared with your editors and choose a design they know the publishing house feels is marketable. Some houses let you have input.  Most don't. 

This is the scary part I'm in now.  I think a great cover is super important to sales.  I've seen my cover and luckily my publisher, MuseItUp, allows me to have input, so I'm making a few suggestions that the artist is trying out. 

This week I'm celebrating that I'm lucky enough to be in the publishing process at all, but let's all cross our fingers and hope my cover will come out okay and appeal to lots of buyers.  I have fingers, toes, and everything that's anatomically possible to cross -- crossed!!!

This post is part of VikLit's blog hop, Celebrate the Small Things. To be part of this blog hop, all you have to do is follow the link and put your name on the Mr.Linky list, and then be sure to post every Friday about something you're grateful  for that week.  It can be about writing or family or school or general life.  This is the funnest and easiest blog hop ever! 

Celebrate the Small Things: 9/13

It's Friday the 13th! Ooooh!!

Here's all the lucky (and unlucky) things I'm celebrating this week:

1)  Unluckily, I used up my quota of bad luck before the 13th this week when our water pump broke on Tuesday.
2)  Luckily, my hubby's handy and he can fix those types of things, so he hurried home from work early to do it.
3)  Unluckily, he dragged the machine up (grease, mud, dirt and all) and set about fixing it on my newly-vacuumed living room rug.
4)  Luckily, most of it was in working order so he didn't have to buy a whole new machine.
5)  Unluckily, the parts he had to replace were the biggest and most expensive.
6)  Luckily, he got the new parts and succeeded in fixing it after only one day without water.
7)  Unluckily, he decided to put the big, muddy disgusting parts that didn't work in my clean bathroom (since he's incapable of throwing anything away even if it's broken -- perhaps he thinks things will spontaneously repair themselves. Hmm. Hasn't happened yet...).
8)  Luckily, he knows dirt all over the bathroom ticks me off so he tried to clean the parts off.
9)  Unluckily, his attempts somehow went awry, and my bathroom looked like a St. Bernard had rolled in the mud and then shook himself.
10)  After I shooed hubby out of the bathroom, I cleaned the toilet, sink, tub, floor, and walls and didn't kill anyone -- LUCKY FOR HIM!


Do any of you believe in bad luck on Friday the 13th?  Has anything bad ever happened to you on that day?

This post is part of VikLit's blog hop, Celebrate the Small Things. To be part of this blog hop, all you have to do is follow the link and put your name on the Mr.Linky list, and then be sure to post every Friday about something you're grateful  for that week.  It can be about writing or family or school or general life.  This is the funnest and easiest blog hop ever! 

IWSG: Happy Birthday!

Although I've only been in 

the Insecure Writer's Support Group for a year, 

it's been a real pleasure.  

Huge thanks to Alex 

and all the generous members of our community 

who share their aggravations, fears, hopes, and dreams to support others.

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY

TO ALEX CAVANAUGH'S

INSECURE WRITER'S SUPPORT GROUP!!!

This is a post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group, the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. It exists so the community of blogging writers can share and support each other, blog-hopping to cheerlead and commiserate. To find out more, visit: Insecure Writer's Support Group.