Writing goals: a tiny retrospective

These were my writing goals for the month of July.

1. Write one picture book rough draft every week.
2. Write at least 250 words daily on the mystery M-F.
3. Free-write (bad) poetry as a way to access possible YA mystery M-F. (Sounds weird, but I do have a plan here.)
4. Write a query letter for a magazine article.
5. Write the column once a week.

Here's my assessment of how I did.

1. I have three picture book rough (really, really rough) drafts.
2. I didn't write 250 words daily on the mystery M-F, although I did, in fact, write that much more often than not.
3. Yeah, that was a good idea. Too bad I didn't do it.
4. I wrote that query! I gotta find it, though.
5. I did write the column!

Speaking of the column, I have some little frustrations, which I list below.

1. For whatever reasons, the Trib hasn't been very good about posting my most recent columns online in the place where most people would look for them (i.e., under my name). This has been a source of frustration to both me and my fab editor, Lisa. Hopefully, we've gotten this ironed out.
2. Ken spent a day down in Provo with a group of newspaper-reading people who told him how sad they are that I don't write a column anymore. They were surprised to hear about the Trib thing. I knew I was taking a risk of losing readers when I made the switch, but that was kind of discouraging news because these folks had been long-time readers.

But. Oh well.

On to goals for August. Which I will post tomorrow.

Home again

I hope I didn't snore on the airplane.

We picked up

Julie at the airport last night, and now we're all set to finish the last leg of our journey into Greenville.

Meanwhile, I passed up an opportunity to try a maple syrup/bacon/mocha milkshake. And I cannot remember a time when I have felt more truly disappointed in myself. AND I CALL MYSELF A BACON LOVER. So, I am making Dylan drive pst the diner this morning in hopes that it will be open, and I can buy one for the road.

And now we're even

Because Dylan snored last night. So we're even on that front.

But meanwhile I must say he is one of the world's greatest guys--funny, kind-hearted, thoughtful, a natural born story-teller. So now we're even on the compliment front, too.

Thanks, D., for an awesome trip.

And here's what the swimming pool sign said

So there was a sign on the pool gate at our motel in Missouri that said NO GASOLINE ALLOWED IN POOL AREA. Which I found disturbing, because I didn't understand. At all.

Hello! I know they do things differently in this part of the country, like deep-fat fry Thanksgiving turkeys out in the garage, for instance. And I am very accepting of regional differences such as Thanksgiving turkeys you fry in your garage. In fact, I embrace these kinds of differences, even if people accidentally blow up their garages and so forth, because I am way, way tolerant.

BUT. Gasoline at swimming pools? WHAT? Apparently it's a problem, though, because I saw the sign right there and everything this morning. Except as I got a little closer, I realized the sign actually said NO GLASSWARE ALLOWED IN POOL AREA.

So. Never mind. Obviously.

And this is what Dylan says about me

That I snore.

I find this v. disturbing information, because it does NOT coincide with my view about myself, i.e. that I am a non-snorer.

And this is what we ate and drank today

1. Bits of the 1 pound dark chocolate bar from Trader Joe's that Jamie left in my box at TKE (thanks, Jamie!)
2. Sesame nut mix
3. Three Muskateers bar
4. Caramel Milky Way bar
5. Potato chips
6. Frosties from Wendy's
7. Can you see why I gain a lot of weight on road trips?
8. Chicken nuggets from Wendy's
9. A lot of Dr. Peppers

AND an awesome Thai meal at the Blue Orchid in Lincoln, NB. Dylan met up with an old page friend who took us to the Blue Orchid, and the people it was fabulous. Then we drove past Ken's old home on Orchard Street and took pictures.