I Am Omnipotent

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." -- Calvin Coolidge

Well, Cal Coolidge said I am ... sort of.

I have persistance. I am determined.

I am woman, hear me roar (in numbers to big to ignore...la, da, da...).

I have a plan. I'm stopping my actual editing in Camilla (which really takes a load off) while I finish trying to wrap my brain around Donald Maass's workbook. THEN I'll go back and make my changes. Because, it seems every time I've figured out where I want to go with "stuff", he asks a question that sends me off in a different direction.

And, I am going to do much of his workbook for my new idea before I start it. Some of what he has you do in his book can only be used for existing drafts, but honestly, I'd like to keep editing angst to a minimum because if I ever have to totally tear apart a book and try to put it back together again I may never write another novel. I mean, for crying out loud, I have three sitting around right now that need serious reassembling and I really, really, really hate editing.

Passionately.

I also decided to give myself permission to start working on the bones of the new novel: characterizations, scene cards, a basic outline. I may have to write some scenes, though, because that's one of the ways I get a handle on my characters and see how they act and think.

Now, to find the time. Yesterday, I couldn't go pee without someone sitting outside the door waiting for me. I. Never. Had. Time. Alone.

My husband got home at the same time my niece left to hang out with her boyfriend and my daughter was in her shower. He walked in and smiled at me where I sat, curled up on the couch with a book -- that I hadn't read one lousy word out of all day -- and I said, "This is the first time I've been alone all day." I think I must have growled it, because he did an about face and went into the kitchen to eat dinner.

Yes, I felt a little bad. No, not that bad. I'm telling you, I had the shakes from being around people all day. People that talked to me and expected me to talk back. UGH.

Oh, and my niece made me feel unbelievably old yesterday. She saw me right after I washed and dried my hair and hadn't pulled it back yet. I have BIG hair - thick, curly, frizzy hair that I usally pull into a braid or pony tail ... and she went "Whoa!" and I said, "Yeah, kinda like Diana Ross on a bad hair day." and she said, "Who?"

Whaddya mean, "Who?" c'mon... Diana Ross... hangs head.