Blowing Things Up

It's majorly easy to blow things out of proportion. One glance from a super cute guy becomes "oh my gosh, he likes me, he really likes me!" A promotion at work quickly becomes the 500K salary and 17 weeks vacation time. And a nice comment on your book easily turns into an (imaginary) book deal, movie deal, and Chris Hemsworth playing the lead character and then falling in love with you and marrying you and you become rich and happy (and of course you lead him to Jesus first). Not that I've thought about that or anything. Haha.

Anyway, lately I've been blowing things out of proportion. I've told my roommate several times over the past few days that I'm going to die. Reason one was that I have an ulcer in my mouth (yeah I'm sure you wanted to know) cause I can't keep my chompers from chomping on my cheek. Try saying that five times fast. So as it has persisted for days, I finally told my roomie I was gonna die. She didn't believe me. Then, after I washed dishes for 45 minutes, the skin on my finger peeled off (sure you wanted to know that too). Again, I proclaimed that I was gonna die. Again, no sympathy. And then, when I pointed to my 3 week old, still hurting bug bite, and said I was either gonna pass away or turn into Spider-Man, not only did I get no sympathy, but she starts showing me HER bug bites and saying I'm making too much out of this.

So I got to thinking. I'm very bad at making things seem way worse (or way better) than they actually are. Seriously, if I get one nice feedback comment on my novel at a conference or at writer's group or wherever, I'm automatically imagining what life will be like once I get published. Even though there's no concrete proof that's what's going to happen, that's what happens in my mind.

Anyway, as I'm thinking, I'm wondering how this applies to life. In general. I realized, God equips us with what we need to do the tasks He's set before us. He has given us the talent. If His plan is for me to sign a multi-book contract and eventually marry Chris Hemsworth, He will make that happen. (Oh, please, make it happen! Haha) I don't need to imagine things as I wish they would be because, in the end, no doubt my ideas will pale in comparison to His plan.

Unless I die from mouth ulcers or zombie fingers or radioactive bug bites, I'm gonna sit back and stop making my own plans. There's no doubt God's are WAY better than mine could ever be.

The Watched Email Never Comes...

You know the saying, a watched pot never boils? Well, a watched email never comes, either. I have the patience of, like, a goldfish. Seriously. Once I know that I'm waiting on something, I just want it to come. I want to hear the 'ding, you have mail' sound that my email doesn't actually make and see the icon pop up that indicates I have a new message.

Take recently, for example. I finally got my proposals sent out to the agents and editor from Blue Ridge who asked for them. Yay! Only about 4 weeks late but, hey, I'm a busy girl. Then, I get a request for a full the same day I send out the proposal. Yikes! So I consolidate all my random chapters into one document, get my mom to read it and critique it and sent it.

And now I wait. And wait. And wait. And for some reason, I have it in my head that I'm gonna get a quick reply back (probably with a negative response) so I keep checking my email. All the time. On my phone. On my laptop. On the checkout screen at Wal-Mart...well, maybe not that last one.

It's not like I haven't done this before. I've ridden this bull, been in this rodeo, however you want to spin it. You'd think by now my patience would be crazy high and long. But it's not. It's nonexistent. I can give all the sage advice I want - but it's not going to help.

I'm going to keep checking my email. And checking it and checking it and checking it for an email that will probably crush my hopes and dreams. Haha.

But you never know, right? This could be it for me. This could be the dream. Come on, email, come on!

...and you thought this blog post would be inspiring...

Divine Appointments and Holy Introductions

First off, let me preface this by saying that I am not writing this blog post simply because I just went to a class at Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writer's Conference and heard all about how important it is to blog regularly. I'm not. And I'm not lying either. I'm simply sitting in my room, listening to the thunder and wanting to blog about how I'm already putting what I've learned into action.

Last night, we had a keynote on how to make the most of your time and network. Perhaps you came here to meet such-and-such but all their appointment times were filled up before you could get your name down. It happens. We don't like it when it does but it happens. Well, the keynote speaker said that you should be open to wherever God wants to lead you and whomever he wants you to meet or have appointments with.

So, yes, last night I made a mad dash to the appointment sheets to score an appointment with Sue Brower, the editor at Zondervan, and David Van Diest, an agent with D.C. Jacobson. These were my top two and I did manage to get the appointments with them that I wanted. Score one for me! This morning, I made another mad dash after the morning general session to the appointment room to see if I could get some other appointments. I was lucky and managed to get the other two editors I wanted (one from Tyndale and one from Harvest House) and the second literary agent. I've already got an appointment with Chip MacGregor because I paid him for a critique. I was pumped and I was ready.

I'm not very good at pitching. I trip over my words, nod too much and usually just generally make a fool out of myself - at least in my opinion. But this time, I started with Mrs. Brower, whom I had met at dinner last night. And she made me feel right at home. The session went great, I have a bunch more ideas on how to make my book better and I was feelin' good.

Now, I know what you're thinking. When are you going to get to the Divine Appointments and Holy Introductions part? You're in luck; I'm there. At lunch, I didn't know who I was going to sit with (you can sit with the agents and editors and writers at lunch and dinner, which is nice) but I ended up going by myself to sit with Caleb Breakey, a writer who'd had a website for teen writers that I had been on before it closed down. I sat and waited and introduced myself when he sat down and told him that connection. It was really good to put his face and person with the name I knew from the website I had enjoyed so much and I was able to tell him my pitch and he liked it, which gave me a little morale boost. I also mentioned that I had a pitch appointment with David Van Diest, who is Caleb's agent, and he said to tell David that he [Caleb] sent me. So when I had my appointment, I said that and that Caleb had said he liked my pitch (which he did, I didn't embellish or put words in his mouth, I swear) and that seemed to really put me in a new light with David. There was a holy introduction with Caleb (sitting at his table) that gave me a leg-up with my pitch session.

I also had a good pitch session with Diana Flegal from Hartline Literary and received very positive feedback. I have a good bit of work to do on the novel now but things are definitely looking promising. It's been a great first day and, with 2 pitch appointments tomorrow and a critique Wednesday, it's not over yet. I can't wait to see what God has in store next.

Total Lack of Disrespect

That's what I told my friend I would not miss when I leave North Greenville's campus in May. The total lack of disrespect at concerts and cultural events. What I meant to say was that I would not miss the total lack of RESPECT.

How can you think it makes you cool to whisper with your friends while other people, who have worked hard all semester to learn this music, sing on stage? Does it make you funny to clap once after everyone else has finished clapping? Are you popular for twittering and giggling during a concert?

No. You are just being an imbecile. Yes, cultural events are required for students. Sometimes you don't want to be there. That does not give you the right to be a jerk. Until you're the one on the stage, you don't have the privilege of judging a wrong note or a style different then what you are used to.

The students who perform in these concerts and plays and such have spent untold hours learning their music, lines, etc. They have put all their effort into their work. How do you think it makes them feel when you can't keep your comments and laughter to yourself or your cell phone off?

So please. Straighten up or get out of the auditorium.

Rant over.

Editing Nightmares

Wow. They really shouldn't tell me the last time I posted a post on here. 'Cause that makes me all depressed to see it was last year! Wow. Clearly, blog posting is not my forte. But today, I am here to make a point and I am going to slam it home HARD.

I cannot stand to edit. To go back through a manuscript and change sentences, add words, eliminate entire paragraphs. Do you know why? Well, I will tell you. It makes me feel like a terrible writer. I can't tell you the number of times I scratch my head (metaphorically) and say, "Gee. Why did I ever think that was a good idea? How could I have ever thought it'd be great to make her do that?"

And then there are the times my characters run away from me. I'm writing and editing and writing and editing and then all of a sudden, my main character is leaving work and she NEVER EVEN HAD A JOB!! And this is like chapter fifteen. So now I have to edit from the top again and make it clear she had a job all along and didn't just randomly pick one up one day because she felt like it. The whole time this is happening, I am sitting in my dorm room, staring at my computer, and yelling "Why would you do that? Stop doing that! Get back under my control!" That might be why people wonder if I'm nuts. To which I say - yes. I am nuts. I am a writer. How can I be anything but?

Back to editing. I've just now finished editing my YA chick lit novel, Oh Boyfriend, Where Art Thou? for maybe the third time. By editing, I mean going chapter-by-chapter, with Track Changes on, and skewering entire passages with the wrath of Michelle. It was intense. I just finished and the final (revised) product is about 15 pages longer than the original.

Editing stinks. It's hard work and hassle and can be really, truly irritating. Only now, when I look at this final product (that still needs some work to explain why the main character randomly begins doing things mid-book that she hadn't done before) do I realize that editing really has made my book much, much better.

Now I think I'll go edit a fourth time...oh, joy.

Rolling with the Punches

Rolling with the punches. I must say, this is hard for me. Sometimes, a right hook flies out of nowhere and hits you when you're completely unprepared. Is it possible then to roll with it? Or are you so off-balance that it knocks you off your feet into a One-hit KO? I think that some punches are just too hard to roll with.

Take today, for instance. Two punches, within half an hour, that left me staggering around with bruises and, I'm pretty sure, a nosebleed. Now, I won't go into detail on those punches in case the offending parties (party) ever reads this post. I don't want a retaliation punch, no thank you. But anyway, both of these punches came out of the blue and were completely unexpected. And because they came in such rapid succession, there was hardly any time to breathe in between.

So did I roll with the punches?

No. I didn't. I went back to my dorm room (skipping my next class, I might add, a very bad idea) and cried. Literally. Like tears, sniffles and tissue. I'm not even lying. I pulled out my slice of cookie cake, put in Enchanted and just basically sat and boo-hooed. It was not fun. And it was not productive.

Sometimes, things happen and you can't just move on. You can't just buck up and say everything's going to be okay and move on with life. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not still eating cookie cake and crying - okay I cried a bit while talking to my Mom on the phone and telling her about my day. But I have moved on. I've put it behind me and just vowed to never voice an opinion in class again. :-) It's hard to move on when you think you've been wronged or treated unjustly.

But that's what moving on is for. I'm about to go enjoy Vampire Diaries with some very good friends. I've had a pretty good afternoon, as long as I don't think about the morning. Moving on is a talent (skill) we all need to learn.

After all, if you aren't rolling with the punches, you'll never make it back to your feet. And we all know that if you aren't on your feet, you're going to be swept away.

Things I Wish I'd Known...Homework

You know what that old Chinese proverb is, that really smart one that makes you go "hmmm..." and tap your finger on your chin? Yeah, that one. Well, that's kind of like the reaction you are going to have at the end of this blog post. I am going to make you think, college students. No more Ms Funny, Ms Nice Girl. Nuh-uh. Time to put that brain to work. If mine is being used (and it is - I'm learning about media in the politics) then yours should be used to.

Today's topic is homework. I'm almost at Fall Break and, oh boy, I was gunning for Friday, when I could peace out and slide into my break. And then I made a mistake. The fatal, life-altering mistake that forever skewed my outlook on Fall Break and basically life in general. I looked at my planner.

And fainted.

Almost.

Actually, I think my heart skipped a few beats and maybe failed for a split second. Where did all this homework come from? Yes, people who believe the "H-word" is no longer part of your vocabulary after K-12 school is over. Homework exists in college. You better get used to it.

Professors in college don't always remind you when something is due. Some will. If you've got a paper due on Monday, some of the nicer professors will remind you the Friday before. Some won't. They'll expect you to refer to the syllabus to remember when things are due.

I had this happen to me already this semester. I forgot some articles were due, my professor didn't remind us (perfectly within his rights) and thus, I didn't turn it in. Had I checked my syllabus (or my planner), I'd have known it was due and I'd have turned it in.

So here's some good advice to remember when it comes to homework:

• Don't delude yourself. Homework is just as big (perhaps bigger) a part of your life in college as it was in high school
• Do your homework within the week that it is assigned. This applies mainly to reading assignments, math problems or homework like that, not long-range homework such as papers.
• Never wait until the night before. Something's always gonna come up
• KEEP YOUR SYLLABUSES. These will become your lifeline.
• Take it upon yourself to note when things are due - don't rely on your professors to baby you. They're not your mommy or daddy.

So put on your big-boy pants and get a start on that homework your professor assigned you this morning. Yes, I know you want to eat ice cream and lie on the bed and watch Pretty Little Liars but trust me - get your homework done first.

I know I've gotta get mine done before I can watch Terra Nova tonight...so now to take my own advice!!! Peace out!