So I didn't write much this past week. 1398 words on Thursday was about it.
Still, that means my starting point is:
20,900 words
I think that's a pretty good spot to be. So far this morning I've only written 1,466 words, but I do have a very needy puppy to pay attention to as well. D comes home from work shortly and I'll have the rest of the day to write by myself.
Much luck to everyone writing their hearts out this weekend. I'm eating lunch and diving back into it.
Cheers,
Tina
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
3 Day Novel
So the three day novel contest has arrived. Kick off is tomorrow at midnight.
And I won't be partaking in the fun this year... not as a contestant anyway.
I will be locking myself in a room for three days. I will be writing feverishly. I will probably go insane by the end of it (just like last year). But I will be working on my novel, not a new project that I will submit to the contest.
For those of you partaking, I'm right there with you. Feeling your pain, rubbing the same blood shot, exhausted eyes.
For those of you not partaking, why they heck not? Ok, fine. I realize not everyone is up to the challenge of writing a novel in three days.
My goal is not really a word count goal. My goal is to get as much done as humanly possible in three days. Last year I wrote 20,000 words, so I know that amount is humanly possible... maybe more is too.
I'll give you all a word count update tomorrow on the words I've done up until Friday at midnight. Then we'll know what I'm going into the weekend with.
I wish all participants the best of luck... please wish me luck too.
Tina
And I won't be partaking in the fun this year... not as a contestant anyway.
I will be locking myself in a room for three days. I will be writing feverishly. I will probably go insane by the end of it (just like last year). But I will be working on my novel, not a new project that I will submit to the contest.
For those of you partaking, I'm right there with you. Feeling your pain, rubbing the same blood shot, exhausted eyes.
For those of you not partaking, why they heck not? Ok, fine. I realize not everyone is up to the challenge of writing a novel in three days.
My goal is not really a word count goal. My goal is to get as much done as humanly possible in three days. Last year I wrote 20,000 words, so I know that amount is humanly possible... maybe more is too.
I'll give you all a word count update tomorrow on the words I've done up until Friday at midnight. Then we'll know what I'm going into the weekend with.
I wish all participants the best of luck... please wish me luck too.
Tina
Monday, August 25, 2008
Word Count: Aug 18-24
Here's an update on my word count last week.
Word Count:
Tuesday: 1,350 words
Wednesday: Research
Thursday: 614 words
Friday: Editing
Total for the week (Mon - Sun): 3,287 words on Ice Debt
Not bad. I'd say it's a pretty good increase from last week at 194 words.
I'll be in touch soon.
Tina
Word Count:
Tuesday: 1,350 words
Wednesday: Research
Thursday: 614 words
Friday: Editing
Total for the week (Mon - Sun): 3,287 words on Ice Debt
Not bad. I'd say it's a pretty good increase from last week at 194 words.
I'll be in touch soon.
Tina
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Over the weekend
This weekend wasn't the greatest for productivity, as much as I may have hoped for it, but it is starting to pick up.
Word Count:
Saturday - 194 words on Ice Debt
Monday - 1,328 words on Ice Debt
Not bad all things considered. It was a stressful weekend with our puppy having complications from having his dew claws removed on Aug 8. He's better now, but we didn't sleep much.
I also went to a wedding this weekend. A friend of mine from Jr. High invited me to her beautiful wedding. It was great to see her again, and so happy.
My office is coming closer to completion. Only shelves to put up on the walls and a drawer unit left to purchase and install. These two things might take some time, but the space is working better than ever before already.
I'll keep you posted.
Tina
PS: To those of you living in the Edmonton Area... Wow, talk about the heat. I'm actually glad that its going to rain for the next couple of days. I love the heat, but plus 36 is a little too hot even for me.
Word Count:
Saturday - 194 words on Ice Debt
Monday - 1,328 words on Ice Debt
Not bad all things considered. It was a stressful weekend with our puppy having complications from having his dew claws removed on Aug 8. He's better now, but we didn't sleep much.
I also went to a wedding this weekend. A friend of mine from Jr. High invited me to her beautiful wedding. It was great to see her again, and so happy.
My office is coming closer to completion. Only shelves to put up on the walls and a drawer unit left to purchase and install. These two things might take some time, but the space is working better than ever before already.
I'll keep you posted.
Tina
PS: To those of you living in the Edmonton Area... Wow, talk about the heat. I'm actually glad that its going to rain for the next couple of days. I love the heat, but plus 36 is a little too hot even for me.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Productivity?
I haven't been very good at updating you since I got my website up and running. Here's an update:
Last week I only wrote 592 works on Ice Debt. I've been distracted with our new puppy (who requires lots of attention, but is otherwise a happy guy) and the hope of starting work on my Graphic Novel Project.
This project may not be a go. Unfortunately, the artist I was supposed to meet with hasn't gotten back to me in three weeks. That's normally a sign of either a) he's too busy, so how much time would he really have to work on this project? or b) he's not really interested.
Oh well. I have other contacts I haven't bugged to see if they know of any graphic artists, maybe I should go back to doing that?
On a happier note, I picked up a beautiful desk the other day and we set it up last night. I've cleared a bunch of junk out of the spare bedroom and it's starting to look like a real office. It's strange how psychological writing can be. Now that I have a space almost ready for me to work in, I feel like I could write more and better.
Perhaps this is the beginning of a boost in my productivity?
Last week I only wrote 592 works on Ice Debt. I've been distracted with our new puppy (who requires lots of attention, but is otherwise a happy guy) and the hope of starting work on my Graphic Novel Project.
This project may not be a go. Unfortunately, the artist I was supposed to meet with hasn't gotten back to me in three weeks. That's normally a sign of either a) he's too busy, so how much time would he really have to work on this project? or b) he's not really interested.
Oh well. I have other contacts I haven't bugged to see if they know of any graphic artists, maybe I should go back to doing that?
On a happier note, I picked up a beautiful desk the other day and we set it up last night. I've cleared a bunch of junk out of the spare bedroom and it's starting to look like a real office. It's strange how psychological writing can be. Now that I have a space almost ready for me to work in, I feel like I could write more and better.
Perhaps this is the beginning of a boost in my productivity?
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
New Website
So after months of me promising a new website, it's done... kind of.
http://www.tinahunter.ca/ is live on the net. You can check it out whenever you'd like. I warn you though, there are still some glitches that need to be worked out and some pages that aren't finished yet.
For example, I'm having trouble right now when people want to join my forum. Because the page on my website that you see the forum on isn't the source site, you have to open any of the links in a new page in order to post or log in. However, you can see the forum, and read any of the pages without leaving my site.
I also don't have the contact me page finished yet, nor has the blogging feature been uploaded onto my site yet (not my fault, that's the hosting companies problem). Once the feature is there, I'll be transferring this blog over to my website.
So, take a look and tell me what you think. I am flexible, and would love to know what your thoughts are.
Cheers,
Tina
http://www.tinahunter.ca/ is live on the net. You can check it out whenever you'd like. I warn you though, there are still some glitches that need to be worked out and some pages that aren't finished yet.
For example, I'm having trouble right now when people want to join my forum. Because the page on my website that you see the forum on isn't the source site, you have to open any of the links in a new page in order to post or log in. However, you can see the forum, and read any of the pages without leaving my site.
I also don't have the contact me page finished yet, nor has the blogging feature been uploaded onto my site yet (not my fault, that's the hosting companies problem). Once the feature is there, I'll be transferring this blog over to my website.
So, take a look and tell me what you think. I am flexible, and would love to know what your thoughts are.
Cheers,
Tina
Monday, July 21, 2008
Puppy Mommy
It official... I'm a puppy mommy.
River is a wonderful addition to our family, even if he is incredibly timid and shy.
River is a Border Collie cross, although he looks like a larger version of a pure bred Collie. He was found at the Westlock Vet clinic as a stray and they took him in, feed him, and waited for someone to claim him. No one did. The vet clinic can only keep dogs for so long before they have to put them down. Luckily, Second Chance Animal Rescue (SCARS) picked him up and took him to a foster home while they waited for someone to adopt him. This was July12. One week later, on July 19, D and I went to a meet and greet with some of the animals up for adoption with SCARS. River (formerly Mario) was quiet, hanging back from everyone else. He didn't even catch our attention until one of the ladies pointed him out.
We walked him around the store, pet him, and generally hung out. River just let us do what we wanted. He listened to our commands, even if he only understood half of them, and was very well behaved. When other dogs were aggressive against him, he just turned and walked away as if he was no longer interested in where he was sitting. We think he may have been abused before he became a stray. One of the ladies was feeding him treats raised her hand too quickly and River dropped to the floor and shook like a leaf for a few moments until we all reassured him that everything was fine. He was an interesting dog.
We put in an application and slept on it. It is a big decision. By morning, we both knew that we needed to give this dog a forever home. We picked River up from the foster home on July 20 at 6:30pm. He is just as timid and shy as we saw at the meet and greet, but I'm confident that he will open up when he realizes that this is his house and that no one will hurt him here.
I may give you updates as things go on but I'm thinking of starting a second blog just for my adventures with River. I'll let you know.
PS: I haven't got the contact information for the graphic artist yet, he was on vacation last week but is coming in tonight. I'll try and book a meeting this week or next, and I'll let you know how it all turns out.
River is a wonderful addition to our family, even if he is incredibly timid and shy.
River is a Border Collie cross, although he looks like a larger version of a pure bred Collie. He was found at the Westlock Vet clinic as a stray and they took him in, feed him, and waited for someone to claim him. No one did. The vet clinic can only keep dogs for so long before they have to put them down. Luckily, Second Chance Animal Rescue (SCARS) picked him up and took him to a foster home while they waited for someone to adopt him. This was July12. One week later, on July 19, D and I went to a meet and greet with some of the animals up for adoption with SCARS. River (formerly Mario) was quiet, hanging back from everyone else. He didn't even catch our attention until one of the ladies pointed him out.
We walked him around the store, pet him, and generally hung out. River just let us do what we wanted. He listened to our commands, even if he only understood half of them, and was very well behaved. When other dogs were aggressive against him, he just turned and walked away as if he was no longer interested in where he was sitting. We think he may have been abused before he became a stray. One of the ladies was feeding him treats raised her hand too quickly and River dropped to the floor and shook like a leaf for a few moments until we all reassured him that everything was fine. He was an interesting dog.
We put in an application and slept on it. It is a big decision. By morning, we both knew that we needed to give this dog a forever home. We picked River up from the foster home on July 20 at 6:30pm. He is just as timid and shy as we saw at the meet and greet, but I'm confident that he will open up when he realizes that this is his house and that no one will hurt him here.
I may give you updates as things go on but I'm thinking of starting a second blog just for my adventures with River. I'll let you know.
PS: I haven't got the contact information for the graphic artist yet, he was on vacation last week but is coming in tonight. I'll try and book a meeting this week or next, and I'll let you know how it all turns out.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Connections
You never know when the people you meet, in the most normal circumstances, will aid you in something you want.
There is a new gentleman who started on my floor, Mike. He doesn't work in my area, or with us at all. In most cases, we would never have spoken. But he is a very outgoing person who likes to laugh with people, chat and say hi. I liked him right away.
After a couple weeks he asked me a question. "So what are your career goals, or do you really like where you are?". I told him the truth. The end goal was to quit my day job and become a writer full time. He didn't laugh.
It took a week (the week before I left) but we finally meet up in the lunch room at the same time, and he asked me all about my writing, what I was doing, how it was going. He was genuinely interested. I was impressed.
I got back from vacation, and poked my head into his office today to say hello. He told me that after our conversation about my writing he had to share it with someone, someone who might understand. He told his friend who just happens to be a graphic artist. I had told Mike that one of my stories, "Beloved Child", I wanted to turn into a graphic novel. His friend is interested, and mentioned that if it was something he couldn't do he has two graphic artist friends ( one already in the comic book industry) who might be interested.
You never know who someone is, or who they know, until it has already worked for or against you.
Moral of the Story: Everyone is valuable. Treat them that way.
There is a new gentleman who started on my floor, Mike. He doesn't work in my area, or with us at all. In most cases, we would never have spoken. But he is a very outgoing person who likes to laugh with people, chat and say hi. I liked him right away.
After a couple weeks he asked me a question. "So what are your career goals, or do you really like where you are?". I told him the truth. The end goal was to quit my day job and become a writer full time. He didn't laugh.
It took a week (the week before I left) but we finally meet up in the lunch room at the same time, and he asked me all about my writing, what I was doing, how it was going. He was genuinely interested. I was impressed.
I got back from vacation, and poked my head into his office today to say hello. He told me that after our conversation about my writing he had to share it with someone, someone who might understand. He told his friend who just happens to be a graphic artist. I had told Mike that one of my stories, "Beloved Child", I wanted to turn into a graphic novel. His friend is interested, and mentioned that if it was something he couldn't do he has two graphic artist friends ( one already in the comic book industry) who might be interested.
You never know who someone is, or who they know, until it has already worked for or against you.
Moral of the Story: Everyone is valuable. Treat them that way.
Monday, July 14, 2008
A Writers Mind
On the long 16 hour drive home from Victoria to Edmonton, I noticed a u-haul trailer left on the side of the road. Now to most people, this would be something to note and then forget, but I will take this example to explain the difference between normal people and writers.
I saw the trailer and immediately asked myself, why would someone leave a trailer on the side of the highway? I saw that the blinking hazard lights were on, and wondering why someone wouldn't be worried about the batteries dying? They must be coming back right away. But why would they leave?
I looked around. The trailer was left at the bottom of a dip in the road. Ahead and behind were hills and a large truck pulling a trailer may have trouble climbing with any speed. So the person probably needed to leave in a hurry. In steps my imagination.
I closed my eyes for a moment and saw a man trying to run from someone and ditched the trailer to get away, but that didn't work with my theory on leaving the lights on, so I scraped it. I then saw a couple, the wife a pregnant woman who had gone into labour early. Yes that worked.
You see in my mind I saw that the man and woman were traveling away from Kamloops, north. They were about twenty minutes away when she went into labour. The man pulled over to the side of the road, and when they realized it would make the best sense to turn around and go back to a Kamloops hospital, the man had lost any momentum needed to climb the hill they just came down. If he wanted to get his wife to the hospital quickly, they would have to ditch the trailer. But my mind wouldn't let it be so easy.
The trailer had to have something important in it. Perhaps they were moving? No, it is was too small of a trailer. Maybe he was selling something? Vegetables? No you would need something with ventilation. It would have to be something stacked. Woodwork? Yes. The man was a master wood carver and inside the trailer was his finest pieces. He was going north to try and sell them. Would he be traveling far north? Yes, perhaps all the way to Jasper where he would have the most luck selling his work for top dollar. His wife was only 8 months pregnant and so they should have been fine for a week in Jasper.
So he must leave his master carvings on the side of the road and travel back to the Kamloops to ensure his wife has a safe delivery. He speeds like a mad man. Half because he wants his wife to be safe within the hospital walls, and half because he wants to get back to the trailer.
They reached the hospital within 20 minutes, and the doctors said that the baby boy was on his way. It would be a fast delivery. Now the man had to make another choice. Go back and get the trailer, or stay and watch the birth of his first born....
D broke into my thoughts and asked me how far away the next town was. I took out the map and told him as if I hadn't just create an impossible story in my mind over the last few minutes. Sometimes I wonder how accurate I am (or not) when I create stories like this.
Sometimes I wonder if writers are sane at all....
I saw the trailer and immediately asked myself, why would someone leave a trailer on the side of the highway? I saw that the blinking hazard lights were on, and wondering why someone wouldn't be worried about the batteries dying? They must be coming back right away. But why would they leave?
I looked around. The trailer was left at the bottom of a dip in the road. Ahead and behind were hills and a large truck pulling a trailer may have trouble climbing with any speed. So the person probably needed to leave in a hurry. In steps my imagination.
I closed my eyes for a moment and saw a man trying to run from someone and ditched the trailer to get away, but that didn't work with my theory on leaving the lights on, so I scraped it. I then saw a couple, the wife a pregnant woman who had gone into labour early. Yes that worked.
You see in my mind I saw that the man and woman were traveling away from Kamloops, north. They were about twenty minutes away when she went into labour. The man pulled over to the side of the road, and when they realized it would make the best sense to turn around and go back to a Kamloops hospital, the man had lost any momentum needed to climb the hill they just came down. If he wanted to get his wife to the hospital quickly, they would have to ditch the trailer. But my mind wouldn't let it be so easy.
The trailer had to have something important in it. Perhaps they were moving? No, it is was too small of a trailer. Maybe he was selling something? Vegetables? No you would need something with ventilation. It would have to be something stacked. Woodwork? Yes. The man was a master wood carver and inside the trailer was his finest pieces. He was going north to try and sell them. Would he be traveling far north? Yes, perhaps all the way to Jasper where he would have the most luck selling his work for top dollar. His wife was only 8 months pregnant and so they should have been fine for a week in Jasper.
So he must leave his master carvings on the side of the road and travel back to the Kamloops to ensure his wife has a safe delivery. He speeds like a mad man. Half because he wants his wife to be safe within the hospital walls, and half because he wants to get back to the trailer.
They reached the hospital within 20 minutes, and the doctors said that the baby boy was on his way. It would be a fast delivery. Now the man had to make another choice. Go back and get the trailer, or stay and watch the birth of his first born....
D broke into my thoughts and asked me how far away the next town was. I took out the map and told him as if I hadn't just create an impossible story in my mind over the last few minutes. Sometimes I wonder how accurate I am (or not) when I create stories like this.
Sometimes I wonder if writers are sane at all....
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
A month again?
Wow. I am horrible at posting right now.
We'll it's been a month....
I've written a bit, not a huge amount, but then again work has been stressful... very stressful. But I won't get into it here because I'm still in the middle of it and you never know who might be reading. :)
Word Count Update:
As of May 21 = 10,837 words (my last post)
As of Today = 14, 164 words (not bad)
Needless to say I am SOOOOOO looking forward to my vacation. D and I are going to BC for two weeks of camping. Just to get away from it all. No worries, no yard work, no renovations, no job. Just relaxing and enjoying the great outdoors.
I'm also buying a car plug in for my laptop so I can write on the road.
I leave on Friday, so it'll be a few weeks until I post again. Hopefully by then I can fill you in more on what's been going on.
Til next time.
Tina
We'll it's been a month....
I've written a bit, not a huge amount, but then again work has been stressful... very stressful. But I won't get into it here because I'm still in the middle of it and you never know who might be reading. :)
Word Count Update:
As of May 21 = 10,837 words (my last post)
As of Today = 14, 164 words (not bad)
Needless to say I am SOOOOOO looking forward to my vacation. D and I are going to BC for two weeks of camping. Just to get away from it all. No worries, no yard work, no renovations, no job. Just relaxing and enjoying the great outdoors.
I'm also buying a car plug in for my laptop so I can write on the road.
I leave on Friday, so it'll be a few weeks until I post again. Hopefully by then I can fill you in more on what's been going on.
Til next time.
Tina
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
May Flowers
It's been exactly a month. April 21 to May 21.
I haven't done much of anything in it. Done some writing, some unpacking.
Started my weekly Wednesday Library days again. Last Wednesday I wrote 203 words, today I wrote 833. Not bad for getting back into the swing of things.
D and I bought a new car to go with the new house, and I applied for a new job but I don't think I want it any more. I think I've had enough of change and I just want to get back to one thing... writing.
I hope to find more time to write (here and otherwise) soon!
Tina
I haven't done much of anything in it. Done some writing, some unpacking.
Started my weekly Wednesday Library days again. Last Wednesday I wrote 203 words, today I wrote 833. Not bad for getting back into the swing of things.
D and I bought a new car to go with the new house, and I applied for a new job but I don't think I want it any more. I think I've had enough of change and I just want to get back to one thing... writing.
I hope to find more time to write (here and otherwise) soon!
Tina
Monday, April 21, 2008
Hard at Work?
Hello all,
This past week we got the keys to our house and proceeded to rip apart the bathroom in renovation. It's about 5 days away from completion now, so we plan on moving in this weekend.
Who knew renovations (even when you aren't the one doing them) could be so stressful? I guess it's mostly the fact that we have so much to do before we can move into the house on Saturday.
On a side note, no writing this week. I feel the itch to write starting to get under my skin so I know it won't be long now before packing, painting, and moving will just have to take the back seat for an hour or two so I can write. I'll be SOOOOOO happy when we are in the house and I can start focusing on the things I want to.
I don't have too much else in the way of an update, so I'll end this here. Hope you are having a fantastic week.
PS: For anyone who lives in Alberta... WHAT HAPPENED TO SPRING? I had to bring out my big winter boots and trudge to work this morning in over a foot of snow. I really hope it warms up by this weekend. I don't want to move in a blizzard.
Tina
This past week we got the keys to our house and proceeded to rip apart the bathroom in renovation. It's about 5 days away from completion now, so we plan on moving in this weekend.
Who knew renovations (even when you aren't the one doing them) could be so stressful? I guess it's mostly the fact that we have so much to do before we can move into the house on Saturday.
On a side note, no writing this week. I feel the itch to write starting to get under my skin so I know it won't be long now before packing, painting, and moving will just have to take the back seat for an hour or two so I can write. I'll be SOOOOOO happy when we are in the house and I can start focusing on the things I want to.
I don't have too much else in the way of an update, so I'll end this here. Hope you are having a fantastic week.
PS: For anyone who lives in Alberta... WHAT HAPPENED TO SPRING? I had to bring out my big winter boots and trudge to work this morning in over a foot of snow. I really hope it warms up by this weekend. I don't want to move in a blizzard.
Tina
Monday, April 14, 2008
I Get Keys Tomorrow!
OK. The count down is now:
1 Day, 3 Hours, and 10 Minutes... till I get the Keys to my house.
Can you tell I'm a little excited?
Have I written anything in the last week? No.
Have I packed like a mad woman, given up almost all relaxing time, and I'm now exhausted but will still have to pack tonight? Yes
Hopefully, I'll post pictures of our house and the dreaded bathroom renovation this weekend.
I hope you had a fantastic week (and that you wrote a lot for those of you who do). SMILE! It's Spring!
Tina
1 Day, 3 Hours, and 10 Minutes... till I get the Keys to my house.
Can you tell I'm a little excited?
Have I written anything in the last week? No.
Have I packed like a mad woman, given up almost all relaxing time, and I'm now exhausted but will still have to pack tonight? Yes
Hopefully, I'll post pictures of our house and the dreaded bathroom renovation this weekend.
I hope you had a fantastic week (and that you wrote a lot for those of you who do). SMILE! It's Spring!
Tina
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Being Distracted
It's been two weeks. I'm so bad at keeping you all updated.
I've written all of... Wait for it... 50 words in the last two weeks.
I've been distracted. Thinking about doing some freelance writing on the side. Thinking of doing a lot of things on the side.
In the end I did none of it, mostly because D asked me why I felt the need to spread myself so thin that nothing would get finished. And the answer to that is, I have no idea.
Maybe it's a subconscious thing. Maybe I don't want to finish anything. Or maybe I have such a curious mind I latch on to new ideas and delve as deep as I can into them given a short amount of time. What ever the reason, I come up with crazy schemes or ideas a lot.
So what now? Well, I get the keys to my very first home in exactly 7 days, 3 hours, and 45 minutes, so I'm not thinking about anything else for a while. We have to renovate the bathroom before we can move in so that will be stressful. And when I do have some down time, I will work on my No-Plot Project and that's it. I really should stop getting so distracted, it makes life very complicated.
Anyway, that's the last two weeks of my life. I hope you are having a simpler time.
Cheers,
Tina
I've written all of... Wait for it... 50 words in the last two weeks.
I've been distracted. Thinking about doing some freelance writing on the side. Thinking of doing a lot of things on the side.
In the end I did none of it, mostly because D asked me why I felt the need to spread myself so thin that nothing would get finished. And the answer to that is, I have no idea.
Maybe it's a subconscious thing. Maybe I don't want to finish anything. Or maybe I have such a curious mind I latch on to new ideas and delve as deep as I can into them given a short amount of time. What ever the reason, I come up with crazy schemes or ideas a lot.
So what now? Well, I get the keys to my very first home in exactly 7 days, 3 hours, and 45 minutes, so I'm not thinking about anything else for a while. We have to renovate the bathroom before we can move in so that will be stressful. And when I do have some down time, I will work on my No-Plot Project and that's it. I really should stop getting so distracted, it makes life very complicated.
Anyway, that's the last two weeks of my life. I hope you are having a simpler time.
Cheers,
Tina
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