What do you mean, summer's over?

So tell me, if it's gone, where did it go? I'm not sure I want it back--it's hot enough out there and will be for another month or so, at least here in Texas. I realize I spent some time away, but really! I was supposed to have finished The Novel by now, and I have a long way to go. I am way behind schedule!

Yesterday I.WAS.READY to kick-start the writing frenzy. The boys left the house and I got dressed, packed up my writing gear, prepared to find a distraction-free location with coffee and promptly fell asleep on the couch. Luckily, when I woke up two hours later, the energy I'd acquired was excellent stuff. Pretty sure I'd been dreaming my next pages, considering the way the words flew onto the computer screen when I sat down to write.

Last night I stayed up too late reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth. We get up early around here, so I'm really s l o w this morning. But today I shall, repeat, shall exit and write. Two chapters? Three? Must finish the book soon because I've got other ideas that have been simmering in the back of my mind and are rapidly coming to a boil. I refuse to get sidetracked. (Hear that, distracting good ideas?)

Writing tip of the week: For a fresh view of your work, email your pages to your Kindle. Typos stick out wickedly but, you never know, you might just dazzle yourself with your brilliance. (Well, it's possible.) Hugs to friend and author Pauline Baird Jones for this suggestion. It was just what I needed!

This week's WIP clue: a 2002 Honda Odyssey with a crack in the windshield. And that's all I'm saying. Except, if you see this "clue" on the street, remember there's a little bit of the author in every piece of fiction. And be kind, the car was clean 'til I drove through the work zone at Klein High School in the rain.

Kudos to: The Houston YA/MG Writers Group, which was organized by Mary Lindsey, Jessica Capelle, Rose Garcia Moriarty and Iona McAvoy. Hugs to each of those terrific women for the grand thing they've started! The group meets the third Saturday morning of each month (currently at La Madeleine's near Town and Country Mall on the Sam Houston Tollway.) The August 21st meeting included an active discussion about "Plot Pitfalls" led by Rose Garcia Moriarty. Attendees offered great suggestions for avoiding little buggers like premises that aren't very compelling, illogical sequences, shallow/boring/frenzied/too predictable plotlines and unsatisfying endings that disappoint readers.

Special note: If you're wild about musicals like I am, check out PBS' gorgeous "Encore" presentation of South Pacific, brilliantly filmed on The Lincoln Center's stage in NYC. Check your local listing for dates and times.

I guess that's all for now. While I drink my morning coffee and read a few pages before writing a few pages, Annie and I will imagine it's March and we're in Wyoming, on the road to the Grand Canyon. Check out the pics below. I don't know about you, but we can almost feel the frosty wind in our faces... Oh that's right, it's the air conditioner again...

See ya next Tuesday!