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Hug a hobbit day

Hug a hobbit, shave your toes, waltz with a wizard (of the Gandalf flavor, unless you like living dangerously) all in celebration of the birth of one of my all-time favoritist authors: Professor John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973). Get into the spirit of the day by toasting the old dear. (One of the best literary moments of my life was when we visited the Botanic Garden in Oxford, England and I got to hug his tree, the one that inspired his Ents. Here’s another shot. Ah, bliss.)

I took my pick-axe to the plot knot yesterday and am happy to report that the sucker is gone. BH and I went to the gym late in the day and I took out my frustrations on the treadmill. Felt much better after that. Smelled better after a long, hot shower. BH cooked shrimp with spinach and garlic and a massive side dish of broccoli. Read more poetry before bed, so it wound up being an excellent day.

Woke up this morning at 1am convinced that it was 6 and I could get back to work. The moon was high and fat and it bewitched me to a secret place where I lay the rest of the night, thinking of my main character and worrying about her.

By bedtime tonight I hope to have straightened out all the little knots and inconsistencies in Part I of the WIP. That means the rest of the month (after I return from this weekend’s retreat) I can focus on Part II.

I am still waiting for snow. I live in the Buckle of The Snow Belt and it is supposed to get up to 55 degrees today. I am not amused.

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on plot knots

New Year’s was celebrated here with victuals and libations and much fun. But not too much – I was able to get up without a headache or self-loathing on New Year’s Day.

The Final Push on my WIP has officially started (actually started a few day after Christmas). This is when writing gets a little…. unattractive. Yesterday is a good example. I slept in and didn’t start work until 8:30am, but I worked all day. Did not go to the gym. Did not go running. Did not change into real clothes. Forgot to look outside. Drank more coffee than I care to remember. Ignored email. Ignored the dog. (Did not ignore my husband. I may be obsessive, but I’m not a fool.)

I thought by the end of yesterday I would have the entire first half of the book (about 150 pages) is good shape. Not great shape, mind you, but very good working draft shape, solid enough that if my editor happened to show up on my doorstep I could hand him those pages with confidence.

But oh, no, Laurie Beth. “Twas not to be.

Right after cup of coffee #4 I attacked Chapter 12, which I have been avoiding for several months. Part of my avoidance was a big, fat lie that I spun for myself. I said “I am postponing work on 12 because I have to do a little more research/order another book/track down that expert for an interview.” Lies, lies, lies. Chapter 12 sucked because an ugly plot knot boogered up Chapters 12, 13 & 14. By 15 it is all straight and smooth-flowing. But it is bad form to have a structural train wreck at the one-third point of your book.

There was much highlighting of pages, then pressing the magic delete key. Much foul language. And then a lot of typing. Towards sunset I was pounding my head on the table and BH gently suggested that a shower mught be in order. (Authors frequently forget to bathe during the Final Push. An ugly fact of life.) Showered, ate, read chapters out loud, and started to detangle the knot. Around 9pm my left eye wandered off, the sign that my brain has shut down. I read some poetry and went to bed.

Today will be more of the same. I need to even out the little tangles still lingering from yesterday’s knot, then push on to the next trainwreck. I leave Thursday for a poetry retreat. I had hoped to have the WIP done before it started (le sigh), but it was not meant to be.

Back to work.

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New Year’s wish for all

Thank you everybody for another amazing year, overflowing with adventures and blessings.

I wish you all health, joy, friendship…. and books to open your eyes and hearts.

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drowning in wrapping paper and cookie crumbs

Christmas #2 has sleigh-ridden into the past… time to clean the house (again) and return to The Book.

The highlight for me happened at the family feast yesterday when two of the youngest angels in the family sang carols in the purest voices imaginable.

What was the best part of your Christmas?

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Entering a haze of sugar plums

Christmas #1 with the Millersville branch of the family was ab-fab; late nights, lots of laughs, baking, Elf, real egg nog, hysterical caroling, and Grandma’s fish chowder. Then, bang! zoom! they were gone.

Today is putting the finishing touches on Christmas #2; more baking, decorating the upstairs tree (yes, I have two, and yes, they are both real – this is one of the advantages of being a grown-up. You can have as many Christmas trees as you want.) I’m going to sneak in a run because the weather is terrible (warm, no snow, no hint of a white Christmas). Tonight and tomorrow I will read some favorite poetry, and page through a beloved book. (I will also be revising my WIP because deadlines are a Grinch.)

I will not be blogging for a few days, so I send out my hopes of peace and joy to all of you, along with a snapshot of our hearth.

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May your stockings all hang with care.