![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
Of course, it helps that I love the music.
Playing Beatles Rock Band reminds of my my teen theater
Anyway. Rock Band. I've determined that playing bass is really my niche. I don't want to devote the time to really practice to get good enough for lead guitar, and that stupid kick drum is my downfall when I play drums. After embarrassing myself at Rocksgiving at my friend Jenny's house, I have gotten in sufficient practice that I hope not to repeat my humiliation when we have a rematch.
- 10:46 Wow. I just can't get warm this morning. It's not even as cold as it has been. I'm just *brrrrr*. #
- 10:56 @FreshFiction Maybe that's it. I need more coffee. #
- 10:08 Discover @rclementmoore 's Maggie Quinn Girl vs Evil in today's Holiday Blog Giveaway at the Daily Dose: bit.ly/7KWcgr (via @HVLong) #
- 11:33 Waiting for new battery. Guy just came in selling tamales. Add that 2 list of things I love @ TX. Now if they wld just make vegetarian ones. #
- 12:15 @jessicatudor I'm @ 90% veg. Used to be more strict. Never could give up fish tho. #
- 12:35 @jessicatudor Thanks! I'm excited to join them there. :-) #
- 13:31 Oh look! Work has arrived to save me from cleaning my office. Huzzah! #
- 16:34 @melissa_marr I got Mom a Kindle. Some ppl don't love going through Amazon, but ease of one click d/l for my tech-impaired mom=priceless. #
- 09:48 @Victoria_Laurie I think UP is one of the best movies I"ve seen all... SQUIRREL! #
- 09:49 Shopping for a teen girl? Books make great gifts. Suggestions over at Fresh Fiction: bit.ly/4MbRAG #
- 11:20 @johnsonll Meg Cabot. Has a new middle grade series, but if reading level is there, anything in her YA line. Clean but still real and funny. #
- 11:22 I actually came to the computer to look something up, and can't remember what it was. I hate that. Happy Saturday everyone. #
- 11:47 @AurRhudd Oooo time portals. It takes so little to distract me. #
- 11:59 G.K. Chesterton, one of those writers I know of, but haven't actually read. bit.ly/5T5pRX [I remembered what I was looking up.] #
- 09:12 Introducing characters to your reader, and myself to a new blog: nnoz5.th8.us #
- 13:10 Watched Night @ Museum 2. Fun but total logic fail. What is the radius of influence of the tablet? Rate of decay of reanimation? #
- 16:36 There is something to be said for internet shopping. On my porch: Bath bombs from LUSH and chocolate hagelslaag from All Things Dutch. #
- 17:13 @upnorthwriter Mmmm. But I do love tea. I shop from Teavana and Adagio Teas. #
- 22:35 Watched UP tonight. LOVE that movie. Am now providing dialogue for the dogs. "I have made walkies in the yard. I deserve a treat." #
- 10:29 Watching Carmen on Ovation. Opera is so full of stories I would never watch/read it they weren't set to wonderful music. #
- 10:38 l love how opera is all:
Carmen: *sings five minutes*
Subtitles: "Love stinks." # - 13:37 Recovering from nano/deadline/done or dead mode. Here on my blog: bit.ly/7hO0wc Or if you prefer, livejournal: bit.ly/8FIjuU #
That’s not me. It does not matter how long I’ve been working on the book, how steadily up to that point, how smoothly (or not) it’s been going. The last week of work is crazy. Full immersion, all take-out, no laundry, little sleep, (few showers)…
It’s not necessarily an issue of OMG I have so much work to do before the deadline. (Though… well. Sometimes.) It’s more a case of being the zone, immersing myself in the book-world for the last push to completion, and not letting anything take me out of it. Not errands, or cooking, or laundry… Eating is a distraction, and even if I’d like to sleep, I spend the night staring at the ceiling thinking about the book, so I might as well be up working on it.
We call it ‘done or dead’ mode here at Chez C-M, and everyone hates it, but they’re pretty supportive. Mom holes up in her rooms and says a lot of rosaries. I’m not sure if it’s for me finishing the book, or to keep from killing me. (I admit, I’m like a hibernating bear and will attack if you get in my cave at this point.) Mr. RCM picks up take out. I stock up on dog food, coffee, soy milk and people chow (aka Go Lean cereal, which I live on during done or dead mode. That and Smarties.)
So when I finish a book, I feel a lot like Rip Van Winkle. I’ve been in another place, and I’m surprised to find the world has been going on without me. I don’t know what’s going on in the news (What’s the deal with Tiger Woods? Do I want to know?). My fridge is empty, the sink (and counter) is full of coffee cups and the garbage can is fully of take-out wrappers. My car battery is dead because I haven’t left the house in a week, but I do have clean clothes, because I’ve been wearing sweats and pajama pants the whole time. I cannot see the top of my desk, because it’s covered with mail, catalogues, printed and scribbled on manuscript pages, and sticky notes everywhere.
So the first thing I have to do when I finish a book is take a shower. Then eat something. Then put coffee cups in the dishwasher. Then look at my e-mail and who hates me because I haven’t answered them in two weeks. Then excavate my desk and make sure they’re not going to turn off the gas or water because I haven’t paid the bill. (I do pay bills before I go into ‘done or dead’ mode but for some reason, more of the darn things are always coming.)
Normally I go to the grocery store, but my car battery is dead.
And THEN, when I’ve taken care of the dogs, the laundry, the most pressing business, then I take care of myself. I get a massage to work the kinks out of my shoulders. I get a celebratory piece of cheesecake. I catch up on all my TV shows and the movies I’m behind on. (I finally get to set up Beatle’s Rock Band! Oh, Rock Band, how I’ve missed you!)
But really, I can only handle a day or two of that. My mind is already brimming with ideas for new books, new projects, new adventures for beloved characters. But first there are Christmas decorations to put up, and baking to do, and shopping and errands, and grocery shopping and laundry and dishes and I have to get a new battery in my car and…
And wow. I’m already sort of missing done or dead mode.
Question of the day: I know a bunch of you just finished with NaNoWriMo. How did YOU reward or pamper yourself afterward?
- 07:59 Trying to sleep and kids in next yard are screaming "It's Snowing! It's Snowing!" Can't really be mad at them. B/C I TURNED IN MY BOOK! #
- 08:01 @CandaceHavens Oh yes. We are. So. Going. To. Party. #
- 08:02 @SaundraMitchell Thank you! I'm extremely happy. Of course. Editor has to like it. #
- 08:10 @AnyaKapllani New book, no title yet, but another gothic romance/mystery/adventure. Set in Texas. (Where it very rarely snows like this!) #
- 08:23 @AnyaKapllani Oh, I *love* the snow! Mostly because it happens so rarely. (Down side is, people do NOT now how to drive in it.) #
- 10:31 Having a celebratory brunch with @rcm_mom. Mmmmmm. French toast. #
- 12:29 @ShawnScarber Thanks! Someday, I will be able to do it without so much tearing of hair and rending of clothes. Hopefully. Um, possibly. #
- 09:01 The Daily Dose is giving away a copy of The Splendor Falls. Check it out: bit.ly/7Svev2 #
- 17:24 Wow. My characters sure do make out a lot in the second half of this book. How did that happen? #
- 23:20 @megallina It's still just got a working title. I've got some possible ones picked out, but my editor has to weigh in. :) #
- 15:26 Dear Sonic. There is not enough cherry in my cherry limeade. I trust that this is an aberration and not a precedent. Sincerely, Me. #
- 11:15 Wow. I didn't think was possible to drink too much coffee. But it is. #
- 09:48 Glitch in Scrivener resulted in it EATING MY BOOK. Had to put text back together like 6 M dollar man. Back to writing now, heaven help me. #
- 10:09 @jmSapereAude I can see me flying that by my editor. Hellfire is the new "dog ate my homework." #
- 14:39 @ScrivenerApp Hey there! I will give a report on the site after my deadline. (And when I figure out what I did to make it do that!) #
- 20:27 Took a break to make a pot of coffee and a #tweetCloud. Apparently I talk about cheesecake more than writing. bit.ly/8pcDsU #
- 20:35 @sisik Yeah, apparently I pimp my book a lot, too because "splendor" and "falls" were way up in my list, too. #
- 20:56 @sisik I used to be shy about it, then realized if I don't pimp it, no one else will! ;-D #
- 22:42 Pie break is over. Wish my characters wouldn't indulge in so much repartee. It's fun to write but hell to cut if it doesn't advance plot. #
- 22:47 @radishcake It was awful. Thank heaven 4 backup drafts. Had to piece things together but at least I had pieces! There's a lesson in that. #
- 22:49 Eeee!!! RT @JimMcCann CUTEST THING EVER! Surprised Kitten: bit.ly/7sn0aY (via @marjoriemliu) [This nearly KILLED me with cute. -RCM] #
Seriously. I cannot write any more because I'm dead from the cute.
- 01:45 @FullCustodyDad You are nuts! And look at all those other nuts! (I'm a big chicken who is not going near a mall tomorrow... er, today.) #
- 11:31 I need curtains for the glass on French doors to my office. Fraternal unit visits today and office looks... well, like Revision Hell. #
- 09:29 I love Thanksgiving. All the joy of a family, food and football without the stress of gift exchange. And a cheesy parade as a bonus. *happy* #
- 09:04 I can't read this excerpt of GQ article @ chris pine w/o wanting to watch Star Trek (again). But I will share it: bit.ly/8SJskX #
- 10:26 @TrishMilburn I actually went to see it in the theatre 4 times. I haven't done that since Gladiator came out. (Russell Crowe. *sigh*) #
- 21:34 Heh. My name always starts popping up in a lot of tweets this time of year. Cool if Clement Moore starts trending, even w/o the hyphen. #
- 11:09 Have you ever had a headache so bad you actually lose a chuck of time? I lost most of yesterday. Plz mail to me if you find it. #
- 11:20 @teralynnchilds Oh no! Hot tea w/honey and lemon. (Adding bourbon is optional, but helpful. Which may be how I lose time when sick. ;-) #
- 13:02 Just ordered Beatles Rock Band for myself for Christmas. Is this wrong, Twitterverse? I don't think so. #
- 22:07 Changing gears for the night shift. First draft scenes needing to be strung together and spackled into Chapters of Awesome. #
It is harder than I thought it would be. I think the day is coming quickly, and I look forward to it, grateful for escape.
Still hard at work on the next book. Turkey day approaches, followed by Avoid-the-mall Day. Actually have some presents purchased this year, which is, like, a record for me. Took a break to play Beatles Rock Band at a friends house. It. Was. Awesome. (Also, friends, I CAN sing, I just can't sing on Rock Band, because you have to follow the little bar thing, and do exactly like them and used no vibrato and... and really. I sound better than that, really.)
Back to work.
- 10:03 @jmSapereAude I wish you'd been MY high school librarian. #
- 10:04 I wish I had something wonderfully witty to say for my new followers *waves* but I'm witless today. #
Syndicate
