I stumbled upon this project tonight while I was blog-hopping. I think it is a wonderful thing, and wanted to pass it on to all who would like to be involved.

The Mother Letters
To Mothers From Mothers

The source and details can be found at: http://motherletter.blogspot.com/

I called that publisher that has my partial manuscript, you know, the one I've never actually finished. (see HERE for details, if you haven't heard this part already.)

With as much professionalism as I could muster, I explained that this particular manuscript just isn't ready to go, and rather than leave them waiting any longer, I would like to withdraw it. I also let them know that I had another manuscript that is ready that, if they would allow my humble self, I would like to submit in it's place.

They thanked me for letting them know, asked if I needed my partial returned or if I would rather they just destroy it, and said absolutely, I am more than welcome to submit the alternate manuscript!

WHEW!!!

I think that was the most painful phone call I've ever had to make - with the one exception of calling my family to let them know of the death of my father. I knew it had to be done (in both cases) but that didn't make it any easier.

Crow does not taste good. But the treat waiting on the desert counter makes it worth it!

If you'll excuse me, I'll be off to write my cover letter to accompany the replacement manuscript!

Ever see the movie, Mr Holland's Opus? It's about a man whose entire being revolves around music, and whose only child is a son born deaf. Imagine not being able to share the one thing you love most in the world, with the person you love most in the world.

I'm beginning to understand. Buddy (not his real name, in case you're wondering) came to us in June. He's four years old and the cutest little monkey on the planet! He's charming, loving and darling - but the woman who brought him into this world neglected him terribly for the first three and a half years of his life. His little brain was never challenged, and he was never taught hundreds of things that he should know at his age. He resists learning anything if he knows that is what is happening, especially his ABC's.

Of all the trials we have gone through since Buddy came to our family, I think this is the most frustrating for me. I know that it sounds trivial to some, after all, he will learn them later on and he's not even in school yet. I think it is, for me, the fear that I will never be able to share with him something that is so dear to me - the written word.

I wonder if he will ever find the joy of devouring a book. Will he ever embark on the adventures that I have had, and find his imagination expanding because of it?

Time will tell, I suppose. After all, that is one of the best qualities of printed books; paper endures for thousands of years. These books will be on a shelf long after we, ourselves, have returned to the earth - their authors speaking from the dust.

I hope my voice is among them.

101 Things to Wast Time, continued.

21. thru 101. - Sudoku.

Enough said.

Okay, so I don't really have a list of 101 things - but sometimes it seems like it. I don't really think it's fair to add things like laundry, housework, and kids to this list, since those real-life sorts of things kinda have to be done. I've tried not doing them in favor of writing, but it's not a pretty sight.

Do you suppose this is a type of writers block, in and of itself? I think it must be. Like they say about sins of omission - this must be an Omission Block. If you don't have time to do it, then you don't have to think about it, right? Then you can say "I just don't have time!" and not, strictly speaking, be lying through your teeth.

Anything to make myself feel better...

101 Ways to Waste Time When You Should Be Writing



1. Blog
2. Having nothing to say on your blog, use that time to rearrange the elements and theme of your blog.
3. Try a new recipe for dinner, preferably something complicated.
4. Buy your four year old child a new pet (- guaranteed to waste whole days!)
5. Make a list of your favorite ten movies.
6. Watch movie #10
7. Watch movie #9
8. Watch movie #8
9. Make brownies.
10.Watch movie #7
11. Watch movie #8
12. Make popcorn
13. Watch movie #9
14. Watch movie #10.
15. Blog about movies you watched recently. (Bonus points of you can relate something in one or more of the movies to writing!)
16. Decide you don't really like that blog layout and redo the entire thing from scratch.
17. Design a webpage for your professional name - which will be famous as soon as you get that book written.
18. Decide you don't like that, and redo it from scratch.
19. Surf the web for quotes about writing for your blog and webpage.
20. Blog about how guilty you feel for not writing for so long.

To be continued. . . .

I have absolutely nothing to report on the writing front - but do have good news of life in general.

We have submitted the actual, official petition for adoption! Our next step is court. Now we just sit back and wait for the phone to ring.

Okay, you have just got to go and see this! Give it a try - it really does what it says it does.

Dr Wicked's Writing Lab - Write or Die

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!