Round Four! by Bonnie Le Hamilton

A few weeks ago, a friend sent my manuscript back to me with a few notes on what needed changed or fixed. I delayed going over her notes while I wasn’t feeling well, but a couple week ago, I dove into getting my manuscript in tip top shape.

Round One

Just fixing all the problems she saw in the manuscript, except as I read through the thing for the first time since before my husband died, I realized it needed a few tweaks, and every once in awhile I’d do a find for a key word and make the changes I thought needed done. The only problem is, I wasn’t sure that those keys words covered all the spots where the changes needed made.

Round Two

I reread the manuscript again, looking for all those places I might have missed. Unfortunately, as I read through the thing, again, I came up with more tweaks the story really did need, and I again used a few key words to find the most important scenes where I could make them, but it wasn’t necessarily all the places.

Round Three

I set to work, going through it one more time with the hope I wouldn’t think of anymore tweaks. No such luck! But this time I was determined not to go over it again. Frankly, I was afraid to read it clear through one more time, because each time I did I found something else.

The only trouble is all those tweaks added to a word count that was barely within the industry standard to begin with.

Round Four

More like round four through twenty-four, but this time I picked a word or phrase from my list of not good words, then searched them out with that dandy little “find” button. Some I deleted, some I changed, and occasionally I completely rewrote the sentence, to eliminate more words.

And I haven’t even gotten it to beta readers yet!

What’s more, I wrote the rough draft the summer before 9/11, so this was just the most recent round of edits on what had once been a manuscript over 130 thousand words and so full of telling it was a disaster. And I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve gone over, rewritten, and changed this story.

My guess is a couple dozen times. How many times do you go over your manuscript before you feel it’s ready? Is it ever ready? Or do you, like me, still find something to tweak every time you read it?

Happy writing everyone. 😊

Traffic Jams by Konnie Enos

Since I live in a large city, traffic jams are a part of life. Getting anywhere means planning for extra travel time. Living in a large family can create similar situations in the home, especially if your home isn’t big.

In our house you have to look both ways before you enter the hallway to avoid the inevitability of being ran into by my daughter. I won’t say she is pacing because sometimes she skips and others she runs. You can see why it is important to check first.

There is also the eventuality of more than one person needing the bathroom at the same time. In our household it isn’t uncommon to hear someone yell (we have some hard of hearing family members), “There’s a line.”

This of course is to encourage whoever is in the bathroom to hurry up.

The one time I never really have much trouble getting use of the bathroom is at O’ dark thirty in the morning when I have to wake up my youngest so he can get ready for school. Most days we are the only two awake at that hour and I can generally get done in the bathroom before my son drags himself out of bed and finds himself some clean clothes to put on. In fact, he can take long enough doing just that, even on the days my youngest daughter is also up at that hour we both generally have time to use the facilities before he gets to the door.

This morning was one of the morning when my daughter would also be awake, and I knew this before I went to wake up my son. I did not however, stop at the bathroom first, which in hindsight I probably should have.

I went to wake my son up but he did not stir or respond to me any fashion before I headed back to my room. I was sure I’d be relying on the snooze feature to insure I went back to try waking him up again.

By the time I’d accomplished that much the bathroom was now occupied by said youngest daughter. I crawled back in bed to wait my turn.

A moment later said son come in looking for the clean laundry that never got put away yesterday, and he is not pleased he has to wait for his sister to get out of the bathroom before he can take his bath.

While he is waiting and looking for his clothes my other daughter wakes up. “Who’s in the bathroom?”

From my bed I moaned. “Your sister.” Then I yelled. “There’s a line.” Then I added. “There a veritable traffic jam.” Two people (my daughter and I) waiting to use the facilities and my son needing to get in the tub. While it’s not unheard of to get three people in line in this family, I can honestly say that’s the first time it happened so early in the morning.

Our next obstacle was getting said son in and out of the tub in under his usual half an hour because he no longer had that much time. Not if his brother and my youngest daughter were going to get ready for school on time. I had to tell him he didn’t have to wait for the tub to finish filling up before he started bathing.

Somehow we got through this morning. And by some miracle I didn’t run into any real traffic jams trying to get my kids where they needed to be.

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.

The New Year And Goals by Bonnie Le Hamilton

As 2017 came to a close, I wrote down several goals for the new year, and I went so far as to write in my calendar the things I was going accomplish each of the first seven days of 2018, so I could start the new year with a bang, and dive right into achieving all my various goals.

Now, before I continue, I must point out that as I wrote those goals, my left knee was bothering me a little bit. I didn’t think much of it, because I have arthritis in that knee, and it is cold out, it is winter after all. So, the minor pain was no big deal, and I could live with it.

I even mentioned that little twinge to my doctor when I had my regular checkup at the end of December, but by the first day of 2018 it was way more than a twinge and my knee was the size of small melon. I’d also spiked a fever on the 31^st. Okay I wasn’t feeling well, and by the 3^rd I went back to my doctor’s office.

That was not a fun day since my doctor wanted to “rule out” a blood clot, he sent me to the hospital to get an ultrasound on my knee, while at the same time he ordered antibiotics for me.

Thankfully, the ultrasound came back that there were no blood clots, and the antibiotics have done their job. But in the meantime, I had to stay off my knee as much possible.

It should have been prime writing, or editing time, except, I didn’t want to think. I didn’t want to work. I didn’t feel well. So, while nothing got done around here, not one item on my extensive to do list, I sat around and read. Some of it books (I did read HP 1 – 5, and even started 6), but most of what I did was read a great many of my unfinished manuscripts. And I mean read, as in no editing and no adding to, just reading.

Not the auspicious start I had hoped for, and now I’m behind, but I have the rest of the year to work on my goals. 

Happy writing everyone.

Rainy Days and Mondays by Konnie Enos

If any of you know anything about the church my sister and I attend, you would know that my two teen aged sons (currently in high school) go to a class before school each day. This means we get up early because school starts around 7 a.m. so this class has to start at 6, well before the sun is up most of the school year.

Because of where this class is located in comparison to their school it means I am driving into the rising sun to get them to school on time. Even wearing really good sunglasses it can be very difficult to see the multiple four way stops I have to pass on that route each morning. Some of the route has trees to block the sun and in other spots I have a tendency to pray there will be a nice large truck available so I can see without squinting.

Monday morning as the boys came out of their early class I noticed that although I could see around me clearly, there wasn’t any noticeable rays of sunlight. I looked up. Everything appeared somewhat blue with gray tinges, and in some places it was darker. The darker places were clearly clouds.

As I headed for their school I said, “Either the sun hasn’t come up yet or it’s completely over cast.”

At no time Monday did we see the sun. By Monday afternoon it was raining, a little. It was still raining come Tuesday morning.

As usual, it was dark when they went inside and I waited, as I normally do, outside in our car. Since it is generally light out when they come out I was surprised when they returned to the car.

I looked at the time, a quarter to seven.

I glanced up. It was still so dark out the street lights were still on. All of them.

I took them to school in the dark and rain. Three hours later I took their sister to her appointment in the rain and still not much lighter. I took friends to the store, still coming down. By the time the boys got home from school, still coming down. I drove them to pick up their new eye glasses.

By now the streets are really soggy and in some places just a bit flooded. As we approached where the eye doctor’s office was we had to drive through quite a puddle. All the cars going through the intersection were leaving a noticeable wake behind.

My youngest made some comments about having to swim if it kept up.

We returned from this errand about 4 p.m. At this point we had not seen the sun since Sunday evening at dusk. I was inside for no more than five minutes when I learned I had to go pick up my other daughter. I went out to the car and you’ll never believe me! I had to put my sunglasses on! The clouds had started to clear and the setting sun was right in my eye for at least part of my trip.

Though I was blessed with seeing a rainbow. That was nice.

Then I was listening to the news. Guess what?

Tuesday, January 9. 2018 set a record. Wettest January day on record for Las Vegas.

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.

Writing goals by Bonnie Le Hamilton

Here it is day three of the new year and I haven’t done anything toward any of my goals for this year.

It’s not like I don’t want to, or I just haven’t put the effort forth (okay maybe I haven’t put effort forth) its just that I haven’t been feeling well. I’m still not feeling well, been spiking a fever and everything.

Can you think straight when your temperature is up? I can’t. I’m lucky if I can think at all.

Anyway, I do have some writing goals for this year. And I need to try to get on them, whether I’m feeling well or not. The problem with writing making goals when you’re feeling well is that you forget how illness can put a wrench in the works. 

Anyway, so far I'm not doing so well on my goals. How about you?

Happy writing everyone.

My Christmas Memory by Konnie Enos

The sun peeking over the horizon added light to the room but not to my thoughts as I realized it was now Christmas Eve. I’d been up for at least 24 hours and the task wasn’t done yet. I was exhausted and more than frustrated with family members whose idea of helping was taking our three school aged girls off our hands while we got the work done. They however had no problem with leaving our two boys with us to deal with while we tried to work. They were both toddlers in diapers.

So while I struggled to help, or keep the boys out from underfoot, my husband strived to get the work done and it wasn’t getting done fast enough. We should have been on the road already. All things considered as the sun dawned bright and clear that Christmas Eve I was short tempered and decidedly not in the Christmas spirit.

After spending the morning attempting to keep the boys out of my husband’s way and finally taking a short break for lunch my husband said he was going to get his friend, who had a truck, to help him haul the garbage to the dump. Then he could finish cleaning the place out. When he was finished we could finally leave, possibly by dinner time, a full 24 hours after we’d originally planned.

As he walked out he said, “Put the boys down and take a nap.”

“Good idea.” It was naptime. I set to work trying to get them to settle down on a couple of blanket on the hardwood floor in the living room while I stretched out on the lone remaining piece of furniture, an old recliner. I was still fighting the boys when my husband and his friend returned.

Our friend pointed to the recliner. “What about that? Is it going to?”

My husband said, “Yes.”

I said, “No way. This is in the last load. You are not taking the only place I have left to rest while I need sleep.”

My husband actually pulled me out of the chair. “We’re only taking one load. It’s going now.”

I fought him. “I can’t sleep on the floor.”

Our friend said, “You’re going to my place.”

In minutes they had me and our boys at his house. His wife tucked our toddlers down with their own kids, a toddler and infant, and had me lie down on their couch while telling their other kids to keep quiet so people could sleep.

 Over the next several hours I woke up several times. My husband and our friend brought our girls back from their aunt’s place, and that old recliner. A neighbor came around with gifts for the poor families in the neighborhood and learning our family was there as well left the gifts meant for us too.

Around dinner time my husband and our friend returned saying the cleaning was finally finished but our friends would not hear of us leaving on Christmas Eve.

This couple fed and found places for seven extra people to sleep warm and comfortably on Christmas Eve, made Christmas stockings for everyone and retagged gifts a couple of gifts, I assume intended for them, so my husband and I could have something under the tree. They also insisted we join them for their Christmas feast before they would send us on our way. The only thing I could do was share the treats I had gathered for our Christmas stockings.

My Christmas went from horrible to one of the most beautiful Christmas memories I have because one family gave freely of what little they had.

Isn’t that what Christmas is all about.

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.

A Christmas Memory by Bonnie Le Hamilton

This last week there was a post on Facebook about tricking kids into thinking they were getting nothing for Christmas, and one of my little brothers (the middle one) brought up something we once did to the oldest of our brothers.

First you have to understand that Bryon was a snooper. If you hid any gifts in the house, he found them well in advance of the big day, without fail. Our mother tended to hide our gifts at the house of some friend or other. But our stepmother (the mother of the two youngest brothers) came up with another plan one year.

First, you have to know she was really good at wrapping presents. Not just neat, but very well taped. There was no way you could undo just one little corner and sneak a peek. In fact, there was no way to get a peek without having to completely re-wrap the thing. Then she came up with devious plan to make him think all he was getting was a lump of coal for Christmas.

That year, along with using so much tape, she didn’t put his name on any of the tags. I can’t remember how it was that she knew which was which (I think it was the wrapping paper) but he thought he wasn’t getting anything, without us saying so, because of course, he did find where the gifts were hidden, he had searched all those tags for his name to no avail.

On top of that, on Christmas morning all he found in his stocking was a small box designed to look like a red brick chimney and inside that box was a real lump of coal. I remember the look on his face when he pulled that box out of his stocking and looked around at all our stocking filled to bursting with treats then he looked at his box again and apologized for snooping.

Even then our stepmother refused to give him his gifts, and he actual stocking stuffers, until he’d promised to stop snooping.

Here’s hopping Santa is good to all of you! Merry Christmas everyone. 😊

Of Harassment and Such Things by Konnie Enos

With all the accusations of sexual harassment and assault flying around nowadays there are of course plenty of memes on the subject to be found on Facebook. Not long ago while I was scrolling through one such meme caught my attention. The title was “How to not be accused of sexual harassment”. Then it showed a pie chart.

I thought of several ways you should protect yourselves from such things. What does this show? Exactly one color, only one suggestion. And what was that one suggestion? “Don’t sexually harass.”

Well, that’s the first step. But, sorry, no cigar, that’s not going to guarantee anything.

Not doing it at all should be helpful in not getting convicted of doing it, but it’s not much help against being accused. Yes, I’ve heard that nobody is going to lie about such things, but guess what? The evidence is there to say otherwise. People have lied about rape, assault and harassment only to have their stories fall about when the evidence was looked at. Or they later recanted their story.

I once had someone I know tell me that my brother-in-law had at the very least been very bold and forward in a sexually suggestive way with her. (And yes, she was/is married.) This person wanted me to admit he’d behaved similarly towards me.

My brother-in-law was so shy around me he barely ever said two words to me and I don’t think he ever touched me, not even for a hug, which I made clear then let it drop. But a few years later my own husband was accused of inappropriate behavior with some of his female clients while he was working as a home health aide, not once, but twice.

The first time his boss thought it was actually one if his clients and even took all his female clients off his list, only to have each one of them ask to have him back. The second time she told him he had someone out to get him and to watch is back.

We moved.

A few years later we figured out who’d been making those false accusations. The same person who had tried to get me to accuse my very innocent brother-in-law.

You see all it takes to be accused of sexual assault or harassment isn’t doing such things but rather coming into the crosshairs of someone who has no problem with bearing false witness. So while your first defense against being accused should be not doing them in the first place, it can’t be your only defense. If it is, you’ve got your head in the sand. And that’s the last place you want your head to be.

No, I think your second defense should be never being in situation alone with someone who could then later say, “When they got me alone they did…” Then you get in a I said/they said situation and you’ve got no witnesses to your defense.

In our church we have this saying (I think other churches have it too) “avoid the appearance of evil”. So don’t put yourself in situations where someone’s false statements might find enough footing to be taken as fact.

Food for thought.

P.S. Happy 18^th Birthday to my oldest son (tomorrow).

Goals by Bonnie Le Hamilton

Okay, National Novel Writer’s month is now over. Time to get on with life, and catch up on the things that went by the wayside while I was frantically writing all those words, and I did a lot better than I thought I could!

I’m proud of myself for that but now is the time to think up some goals for the coming year, and maybe even set some deadlines to get them done. And it wouldn’t hurt if I could figure out how to do them without letting the chores go for a month. 😊

I have a niece, who is also a writer and she’s set the goal to publish six of her books this coming year. A goal I find rather ambitious even though most of those are already written and it isn’t like she has to find a publisher willing to take a risk on her, she self-publishes, but I doubt I could manage that kind of output in a year and unlike her, I don’t work!

Then again, I’m a slow typist. I’ve mentioned this before. I can’t win a word war – wait, I actually won one this year. Shocked me – shocked everyone. I usually don’t unless it’s against Konnie, and I suspect she had a lot of interruptions on her end while we were writing. She usually does.

Anyway, setting writing goals is a good idea and I’ve been thinking about some goals I could set, not just in writing but in life in general. Now I just have to set what the goal will be and how I would achieve it. Though I already know my writing goal is to get my manuscript Forbidden Connection ready to shop out to publishers and I’ve already started on that one, its with the editor right now.

Next, I have to work on the synopsis and the query and research the best agents and publishers for it.

Okay, I have a lot to do this coming year.

How about you? What kind of goals are you planning for this coming year?

Happy writing everyone! 😊

Of the Spirit of Christmas by Konnie Enos

On December 16, 2015 I posted “Tis the Season” about The Spirit of Santa Claus and Christmas. Well, I’m going to revisit the topic. The Spirit of Santa Claus, the true Spirit of Christmas, is giving, not receiving. So in the Spirit of Giving, I’d like to give all my readers something to think about. I want you to focus on the reason for the season.

Focus for just a moment on why we celebrate Christmas.

It’s not trees all lit up with lights and presents stacked under them. It’s not stockings lining the fireplace waiting to be filled. It’s not even big family gatherings or huge dinners.

The reason we celebrate Christmas, is to remember.

Remember what the trees, the wreaths, the lights, the candy canes and the stars represent. Remember why we gather as a family to dine together and exchange gifts. Remember the true reason for the season. Mostly remember the birth that this season is supposed to mark then remember the child born oh so long ago.

Now remember the man as was documented in the New Testament.

The man who healed the sick, lame, blind and deaf. The man who didn’t judge the sinner as beneath him. The man who forgave the woman caught in adultery. Remember the man we celebrate this season for.

If you happen to celebrate Kwanzaa remember the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Christ’s efforts were to bring unity, collective responsibility, cooperation, purpose, creativity, faith and yes, even self-awareness. Remember the seven principles of Kwanzaa.

If you don’t believe in Christ. If you celebrate Hanukkah then think of the miracle of the lights and the reason you celebrate this season. Think of your God and all you are grateful for.

Now if you don’t happen to be Christian. If you don’t happen to believe Christ existed or that he was The Son of God. If you don’t even believe there is an all-powerful god, think of the world you’d rather your children, your grandchild, had the chance to grow up in.

Now that you are all thinking, remembering. Answer one, or both, of these questions. What would Christ do? Or; how can I make this world a better place?

Just think about your answer for few minutes. What can you do to make this would a better place?

Now I have a challenge for all of you. Every last one of you. Do I have your attention?

I challenge you, starting December 1^st through December 25^th to do something every single day to GIVE. Give friendship. Give love. Give kindness. Give your talents. Give your time. Give your understanding. Just GIVE.

To help you with this challenge, as a means to give you ideas each day on how you can give, I challenge you to go to Mormon.org and look at “Light the World” which is twenty-five days of ideas for giving. Admittedly, this is ideas for giving as Christ would give, but they are universal. Make our world a better place. Be the light the world needs right now.

Let’s see if we can’t make this a truly joyous season for all by basking in the true Spirit of the season. The Spirit of Giving. Let’s make this even bigger. I challenge you to pass it on. Pass this on to your friends, your family, and your neighbors. See how just how many people we can get making an effort to “Light the World”.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa and Happy New Year one and all.

(And to those who say “Bah Humbug!” go read Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol”.)

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.

Tis the Season by Konnie Enos

Mormon.org - Light the World

On Thanksgiving and Writing by Bonnie Le Hamilton

Have you ever said something, then instantly regretted it? And have you ever done that, then within minutes decide it wasn’t a mistake? I had this happen to me just last month.

A couple weeks before Nano started, I attended a meeting with my local Nano group, where one of our leaders first asked what they planned to write that year. As she went around the room for our responses, I didn’t think about my answer, even though I had no idea what I would write at all. I thought about how Konnie had recently finished the rough draft of a massive sci-fi.

With that on my mind, when my turn came, I announced I was going to break away from my norm and try my hand at sci-fi. Even as I said it I told myself I was being a fool. I never write anything that isn’t romance, and I still didn’t have an idea.

Then our leader presented us with several prompts and a time limit. I was drawing a blank. I still didn’t even know what I was going to write. Sci-fi? What was I thinking? Okay, I was thinking if Konnie can, so can I.

And well, I had started a sci-fi months ago, and set aside because researching and taking notes became too much for me, I’d been overwhelmed, so it was crazy to even think I could write a whole sci-fi, it was too much work.

I did try to work with the prompts, but still nothing, until one of them she gave us got me thinking. What would Nick have on him that reminded him of his missing brother? I didn’t get my answer right then, but it was a spark.

Her next set of prompts included writing a letter from the main character at the end of the book to the main character at the beginning of the book. Interesting.

I wrote two sentences. Two powerful sentences that really said it all. That night I went home, pulled out my computer, dug out my old discarded file, and started writing notes and two versions of an “ancient” tale from the worlds I was creating. I even wrote an outline! Me, the consummate pantser, wrote an outline, or at least a partial one. And I went through the two scenes I did have adding details, and information, I hadn’t had originally.

On November first, I thought I had enough outline to last me the month. I ran out of that during week two, but not ideas. I’ve a long way to go before I finish this story, or rather, these stories. 😊 And I’m already over seventy-five thousand words! Wahoo!

Have you ever been blessed with a story which won’t let go, or which snowballs on you into a massive tome? I know Konnie’s answer, what’s yours? And have you remembered to be thankful for this blessing?

Happy writing everyone!  😊