This new week is totally up in the air... I picked up a temp job doing some merchandising but am not sure if it starts tomorrow or next Monday (I'm pretty sure it's tomorrow). It'll be about 54 hours the first week and 36 the next. I'm hoping it'll turn into something other than one temp job. Once I find out when I start I'll post goals.....

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Write Angle
Honesty. Integrity. Simple.
http://writeangle.netfirms.com

I'm off to Vermont on Thursday for my next residency at Vermont College. Since it will be a period of 12 days worth of workshops, lectures, readings, etc., I will post my next set of goals when I return in July.

I do LOVE these residencies. They are so much fun. I spent last night picking out all of the lectures and readings that I want to attend. There is some really interesting stuff. So hard to choose...

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Jeanne

Something has gone seriously wrong. My list is growing instead of shrinking!

Next week:
1. Finish chapter for English textbook (done nothing)
2. Begin edits on science book (done nothing)
3. Write 6 maths radio scripts (added)- I've finished 1 1/2

Today it's all about maths scripts- if possible I should finish all of them. Having said that it is now 9:49 am and I've only exercised and ate half my breakfast. Things don't look very promising.

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"I am building a stairway to the stars. I have the authority to take the whole of mankind up there with me.
That is why I write." - Bessie Head


http://thoughtsfrombotswana.blogspot.com/

An interesting expression, "maths scripts" and hard to wrap the tongue around.

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Founding member of The Blood-Red Pencil
http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com

Math scripts? Eeeewwww.

Ok...some goals have been achieved.

All the Trek reporting is done. (See it at http://groovytrekkers.blogspot.com/ )

I haven't touched the novel but,

I (and my girlies) have made 54 Rice Krispy bars in 3 different flavors, packaged up several dozen oatmeal cookies and packaged up 18 pieces of yellow cake with chocolate frosting. All these have been wrapped in individual servings for a bake sale this weekend at 4-H goat camp. The proceeds will go to one of our club members who is moving to Swaziland. Their family will be leading the youth group at a church there and running a goat/rabbit farm.

I have milked 3 does several time and strained the milk. Thus far we have used it to make goat milk fudge (fabulous!) and yogurt.

Today we're making cheese.

I'll also be making bread for the potluck dinner at the goat camp.

I've laid out most of our camping gear to make sure we have all we need.

I've planned menus for said trip.

I strated a diet last Thursday and have lost 4 pounds.

Simultaneously I'm planning out trip to NY to visit our daughter and son-in-law.

I lifted weights and I'm going to ride my bike in a about 20 minutes. (Aaahhhhh. 2 hours with no demands!)

I've taken my mom out on a pleasure shopping trip and, on a different day, on a necessity shopping trip.

I helped her do her laundry.

I read Isaiah 40 and rejoiced.

I did our laundry.

I got my hair whacked right off. You can see pics here: http://groovybell.blogspot.com/2008/06/ ... -farm.html

Hmmmm. I think it's time for a break!

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"In the beginning was the Word..."

http://groovybell.blogspot.com/

and

http://groovytrekkers.blogspot.com/

Now I Squidoo!!!
http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/groovyoldlady

First thing Groovy where is that bake sale I need to get me some STUFF(yum-yum). Second why on earth would you need a diet after riding a bike half way across the world??

I forgot- you Americans- for some reason we call math, maths here- maybe it is mathematics. I don't know.

_________________
"I am building a stairway to the stars. I have the authority to take the whole of mankind up there with me.
That is why I write." - Bessie Head


http://thoughtsfrombotswana.blogspot.com/

Yes, Lolok, it's an "English" thing - which has infected all commonwealth-or ex-commonwealth-or used to have public servants/schools that were commonwealth influenced/infected, countries. We say maths in Oz as well - short for mathematics.

I was going to hang out in the Bar but all the chat seems to be happening here. Do you think this thread is the equivalent of the office water cooler?

I haven't done much.
* I finished the next chapter in my novel and am back at the "what do I do with them now as it's too soon to get to the trial?" stage.
* I've found myself an off-campus advisor (the other Masters' students had their's by February!) and she happens to be a descendant of the particular Aboriginal tribe that is included in my story. This is a good thing as I have to have the story vetted by the tribe in question and it can't be published without their approval. Here's hoping she likes what I'm doing.
* I'm working on the next batch of reviews - three excellent children's books - which I thoroughly enjoyed reading.
* Read two books that were recently nominated for the Miles Franklin award (the Ozzie Booker Prize). Both happened to be relevant for my thesis. Upon finishing them I decided I'm not really a "Literary" writer, and that's quite ok.
* Been going to my daughter's every Thursday night, taking tea with me, to help her feed, bath and bed her two children while her husband's at football training. (Grrr...)
* Vacuumed my house today and needed to take two panadeine and rest up afterwards, thanks to the weather being damp and therefore my spine with the collapsed discs and my hands, feet, knees and shoulder with the arthritis were giving me some aggravation.

I've been so stuck in my novel that I haven't emerged for much else, but I've missed you all.

Looking forward to that novel, Wendy! Sorry about all of the pain you're having. To me it sounds like you've been dead busy which is great. In actual fact, there is more money in being a non-literary writer anyway.

Thanks to the one world project a senior editor at Random House wanted to see some more of my work , but only a literary novel. YIKES- isn't it I'm trying to be the Stephen King of Botswana- only scary, blood or gore- sorry. I certianly cannot fit a literary novel in among all this educational writing and scripts. Maybe a lost opportunity, I'm afraid. I tried to nab her with short stories ( which are sometimes a bit literary) but she would not bite. Who told all of the publishers short story collections don't sell??? Damn liars.

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"I am building a stairway to the stars. I have the authority to take the whole of mankind up there with me.
That is why I write." - Bessie Head


http://thoughtsfrombotswana.blogspot.com/

No Lolok, it's not a lost opportunity for you - it's a lost opportunity for Random House.
Think of it as the equivalent of the guy who turned down the management of the Beatles because he didn't think they'd 'catch on'. (Boy, hindsight would make you spit with that one!)

As for the 'literary' stuff - my mind just doesn't travel down those paths. When I went to hear some of the nominees talk about their respective novels, and read excerpts, the guy who bored me the most was the eventual winner!

I said to my husband, 'The choice is, write like that and impress the judges but don't sell many books, or write 'genre' (but still aiming at good genre) and impress the reading public, and sell lots of books. I'm happy to be the latter.'
That is, until I realised that the prize money was $42,000!!!!!!!!! Husband now says I should aim to win at least two of them, preferably in succession. hahahahahahaaaaaaaa

Or write a memoir-inspired novel and call it literary. I mean... good grief. Do the Random House gig.... just once. You get it, and I'll help you arrange your blog book tour, Lauri! It would be cool! I used to be a gift rep for Random House. Did I ever tell you about the time I called their Beginner Books Division and got transferred and the gravelly old voice that answered said, "Geisel"? Wow. I think.

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Founding member of The Blood-Red Pencil
http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com

$42,000 - yikes!!!! There is something to be said for writing literary then. Yes, I must work on something. You know Ele you are the third person in two weeks who has said I should write about my life. It would have to be fiction, my memory is not good enough for anything else. Think think think Lauri. I'll definitely do a book tour with you if and when I squeeze a book out of this crowded head.

Wendy- thanks for your always pride boosting comments.

As for my week's goals:
I have just sent off all maths scripts
I am just about finished with the English book chapter (THANK GOD- this is much harder than I thought, though I may have got a grip on it, just at the edge) - I'll definitely be done today.
Nothing done on science book

But I'm fine with what I've done. It means next week I am free and clear for the science book. Maybe I'll get to sqeeze in a fiction day if I'm very good.

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"I am building a stairway to the stars. I have the authority to take the whole of mankind up there with me.
That is why I write." - Bessie Head


http://thoughtsfrombotswana.blogspot.com/

Should we have a Fiction Day Challenge once a week?? Or Drop Everything and Lie a Bit? Har!

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Founding member of The Blood-Red Pencil
http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com

Last Week:



Something came up so an extra week has been taken to complete these goals, with no new ones added.

This Week Continuing:

1) Mail request letter, other mail. Completed!
2) Enter 1 contest.
3) Give to charity.
4) Answer a letter.
5) Finish short story from last week.
6) Re-submit returned short story. 1/2 completed.
7) Call relative with requested information. Completed!
8) Contact Brain Research Centre.
9) Work out 3 times. Completed!

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Writing is dreaming while you're awake....

Let's see now. I leave here around 11:30 to go to Virginia International Raceway to shoot photos for an article on a Corvette school...I keep reminding myself I will NOT take an offer to make a few laps. The last time I did that, I slid off the track and scared myself almost as badly as I did when I road raced a motorcycle.

Finish calls for article research while at the track or motel.

Back here tomorrow night, then write two articles during the week, and start a third to go by the following Monday or so. Also try to catch a granddaughter on the fly for a model in a short book I'm writing. She wants to be an actress, so that will work fine. I hope. But 18 year old kids can be hard to slow down.

The week after this one, we FINALLY get it all wrapped up and go to Charles Town, WV to watch the horse races. I probably won't mess with the slots because my allergy to cigarette smoke gets worse annually, and it bothered me when we were there five years ago.

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Charlie Self
www.charlieselfonline.com

Ah, Charlie, what a life!