Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Day 181

Did it:

Cami

Monday, June 28, 2010

Day 180

Did it:
Julie--8 pages! I had three solid hours to write!

Didn't:

Elena--bleh. I have no time this week. Good job, Julie.
Jamie - I think I'm out until August. Apparently I must actually move now. Stink. Congrats on your 8 pages!!!

Friday, June 25, 2010

Day 179

Did it: Julie (I didn't do it yesterday, but I wrote 2 pages today)
Elena
Mary

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Day 178

Did it:

Cami
Mary

Didn't:

Jamie - I'm in Washington until next week visiting my sister (with Laura).

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Day 177

Did it:

Cami
Julie

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Day 176

Did it:

Cami
Julie--I spent an hour or two revising and conveniently ended up with a full page of new text by the time all was said and done. Even more impressive since I cut stuff here and there. I LOVE revising! It's so much more satisfying than writing that first draft! I'm hoping to finish this book, crappily, in 40 more pages or so, just so I can get some closure and move on to the next book.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Day 175

Did it:

Jamie
Cami
Julie--I'm back in the saddle

Didn't:

Elena- I am a slacker. I didn't feel like it today. I took a nap instead, because after watching my daughter get seventeen stitches in her knee, I was too grossed out to think coherent thoughts. I almost threw up watching the doctor. I stopped watching the doctor after awhile, because the nurse kept asking me if I was ok, because I think I may have been green. And I wasn't the one getting stitches. It's called being a mom. We feel too much what our children feel.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Day 174

Did it:

Cami
Elena

Didn't:

Jamie - My husband is officially done with school now. I don't know how to write when he's home :)

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Day 173

Did it:

Jamie
Laura - finally got over the hump into the next leg of the story!
Elena

Didn't:

Cami-my daughter had a rare moment and wanted to quilt.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Day 172

Did it:

Cami
Laura
Elena

Didn't:

Jamie - Not home today

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Day 171

Did it:

Jamie
Cami
Laura
Annalisa--I started a new project, just to start another new project, which is what I am currently spending my time on. I figure any writing is better than no writing, right?

Monday, June 14, 2010

Day 170

Did it:

Jamie
Cami
Elena
Laura

Friday, June 11, 2010

Day 169

Did it:

Jamie


Didn't:
Cami

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Day 168

Did it:

Cami
Jamie
Laura (barely, I'm to the point I'm not sure what happens next)

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Day 167

Did it:

Jamie
Cami
Laura
Elena

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Day 166

Did it:

Cami
Laura

Didn't:

Jamie - three performances later I did not check that one off my list. And since I spelled four words wrong while writing this sentence, I think it is a good thing.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Day 165

Did it:

Jamie
Cami
Laura (Yup, I used to write also. School is out, the kids are gone, my brain is back (slightly depleted) and yesterday I read my book and I'm back to writing.)

Friday, June 4, 2010

Day 164

Did it:

Cami--not much else to do today with my house all torn apart getting new carpet laid.
Jamie
Mary

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Day 163

Did it:

Mary
Jamie

Didn't:

Cami-not feeling well today.

Nathan Bransford Action/Suspense contest

So I don't check Nathan Bransford's blog regularly, but every once in a while I do (like today), and while I was reading all the past posts I've missed over the past few months, I saw that he was holding another contest and the deadline was today (4 p.m. Pacific Time). It's a 500 words or less action/chase/suspense scene contest. I think I've mentioned before I like contests. It's not because I think I will win, or sometimes even can win, but I feel like there is nothing lost in trying and it gives me experience. There is a motivation to perform at your best. I just wish I had had more time to prepare something and to have all you lovely ladies critique it for me. Anyway, I thought I'd go ahead and post it here for fun. It's from my WIP that I am keeping track of on the sidebar. I'd love to hear what you think.

An unhurried scrape dragged along the far wall. Ellie’s chest constricted. Stay calm. It’s nothing, just a really old building. She dropped in front of the door.

“911. What is your emergency?”

The scraping stopped. Her heart thudded irregularly in her chest.

“My name is Eliza Brown.”

“Excuse me, could you speak louder?”

“Eliza Brown. I’m at the Treasure Bin on Main. The power is out. No one is here and I am locked in.” She didn’t want to say she heard footsteps and strange noises. “Please, can you send someone?”

“The police are on their way. Please stay on the line and remain calm.”

Ellie nodded. Her tongue lay weighted, attached to the orange-sized rock that seemed to block the flow of air through her throat. The scratching resumed. She gripped the phone tightly with a sweaty palm. Then her phone beeped and its light dimmed.

No, no, no.

The phone beeped twice in a row. Low battery flashed on the screen. “My phone is going to…” Then it went dead.

She kicked herself for not charging the battery earlier like a “responsible young adult.” Her mother’s voice was very clear in her head. Something moved and it fluttered the stray hairs around her face.

“Hello, Eliza.” It was no more than a whisper, but it was clear and distinct and very, very close.

Dropping onto her hands and knees she scrambled toward where she thought the front counter was. Swish, swish, swish echoed the dress. Traitor. I knew you were bad luck. Her face met with several musty smelling, low-hanging garments. She dropped her head and plowed through, eventually banging her skull into the edge of the glass. In the silence, it sounded like a small explosion. She leaned back onto her heels, holding her head with her free hand, and then stood up.

It’s all in my imagination. The police or fire department or even the sheriff. They are coming. Any minute. Both the fire department and police station were only a few blocks away. If she could get out, she could run there.

It loped across the room knocking over several racks of clothing. She screeched and dove head first over the top of the counter. The bottom of her dress caught and didn’t release. She hung suspended above the ground. Her fingers brushed the floor. Her head was just a few feet from smacking into the linoleum. It’d caught the end of the train. She kicked air and clawed at the floor. The momentum she gained was rewarded with the sound of tearing fabric. She somersaulted over the counter. The dress flipped up over her head and fell like a parachute on top of her. The ground smashed into her tail bone.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Day 162

Did it:

Jamie
Cami--I'm back to writing by hand since I find it easier than fighting with my children for computer time.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Day 161

Did it:

Cami--It is much more difficult to find writing time with all my children home from school.
Jamie