My Achey-Breaky Back

Yeah, I know, that does sounds ominous and I suppose it is. But as I got up today, I felt the right side of my back tweak for lack of a better word. My 17 yo heard me as well since the only reason I was awake at this god-forsaken hour (5 am) was to get him up for soccer practice. I must have moaned or something because he was immediately at my side with a “You okay, Mom? You seem to be in pain.”

As I slid to the side of the bed and try to sit up, all I could think is 'What the heck did I do?' I just looked at him and replied, “It would seem that way, wouldn’t it?” One good thing I found was the more I moved, the better it felt. So I have two days to go through before my regularly scheduled chiropractic appointment and my therapeutic massage. Right.

For years, people thought I was crazy because I am religious about those appointments. I was religious about them before they became a fad and the reason why is because they keep one healthy and moving and pain free. Matter of fact, this is the first time in about five years I’ve even had back problems at all and if my memory serves me correctly, it is basically the same thing except on the opposite side.

At that time, I slept wrong. Somehow I scrunched myself up in such a manner that I had the whole left side of my back spasming. This time, I know it is a combination of sleeping on a crappy bed at my Dad’s house , traveling in the car for long hours and more than likely, little to no exercise because my butt has been planted in this chair since I got home as I’m on an editing and writing jag not to mention deadlines.

And I know better. I thought I’d have time and I wouldn’t get nailed until the day before my appointment. But I was wrong as I felt this back ache slowly come on during this past week. If I’d have taken all those little aches and pains I’d felt earlier in the week seriously, I would have realized I need to do more walking, stretch every day and get another chiropractic appointment in this week. Dummy me. This is almost the same things as last time as I waited until it was too late and then had to have a series of appointments before I was fixed.

I’ve learned my lesson, or should have as I just dialed my doctor hoping to get in today. LOL!

This whole thing brings up the thought of manuscript health. In May, when I knew I was going on vacation, I realized I wouldn’t be close to my critique partners or anyone who’d really be able to give me good feedback on my work, I went out to look for something that could. And just like expected I was pretty internet deprived. I even blogged about it at the time as I had found the fantastic AutoCrit program. Since then, I have grown to love the program because it is so much like my crit partners and a few of my editors. I am really pleased with the program and while it will never replace the real people in my life, it will give them the occasional run for their money.

Imagine my surprise when I get home I find an email from the owner of the company, Nina Davies, in my inbox. She wrote me about what I had said in this blog at the end of May. She was so pleased and grateful for my blog that as a result, today I am giving away a free Platinum Membership to one lucky author. This is a $77 value and is good for a full year of services. If you have never seen this program in action, go check out the free trial as it will be well worth your time.

So far, I have run about 200,000 of my written words through the process. One such book is the very first book I ever wrote. I want it to see the light of day BUT realize Midnight Run needs work. Lots of work. LOL!. The first round is a chapter by chapter edit. Next time I run the 72K book through, it will be the whole thing and believe me when I say, the program will look at the pacing, redundancies and more. I wholeheartedly support this program as it has helped me to become a better writer overall.

My August giveaway is still underway. One lucky winner will be chosen at the end of the month to receive a basket full of goodies including an iPod. And this prize just keeps getting better and better. The basket I purchased is a handmade version I picked up at the Idaho Falls Farmer’s Market. It is deep and the colors matched what I saw as the perfect giveaway. This person will be so happy with this I just can’t wait to give it away!

As always, all you need to do is to comment here and be entered for my drawings. The winner of the copy of AutoCrit will be announced here next week as I want to give everyone the chance to be in the drawing which means I’ll pick a winner at 12:01 am next Wednesday. At the same time, you will be entered in the August End-of-Summer giveaway.

Hope you all have a great week. Until next time...

Lynn

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Do you ever have those weeks where it seems that no matter how much you get done, you’re not moving forward?

That’s been my life for the past week. Since last Wednesday I have produced an amazing 29,000 plus words but nothing, and I repeat, nothing is done yet. As I sit here tonight staring at the screen and writing this blog, I wonder just how can that be.

Well, maybe it’s the fact that I have 5, again repeat, 5 works in progess that I am writing on. They range from contemporary to paranormal to science fiction. I love not being boxed in by one genre nor one book. This way, if I get bored with something I can move on to the next. Note that bored can mean truly bored, don’t know where the plot is going, just don’t want to write that damn scene, or I’m stuck and don’t know how to get out of the plot box I seem to be in. However, it can lead to high word counts with absolutely nothing being completed because I’m working a little bit on all of them. Duh.

What is strange about this whole thing is I’m going exactly as planned. I’m maintaining my minimum daily writing word count of 3500 with many days exceeding the count. I’ve even had my family days off as well as the one allergy day where I felt like crap and all I wanted to do was sleep. But over all I feel great about the progress I’m making just not how long it seems to be taking me.

A while ago, I had written about the fact that it seems as we get older time flies. Why doesn’t it fly here? Why doesn’t the word count pile up even more and things get completed? Why, why, why, why, why. Sigh.

I guess, I’m just having one of those days where it feels as if I’m a hamster on a wheel. It seems as if I’m going around and around and around, doing what I’m supposed to be doing and going nowhere. One step forward, two steps back. Sounds like that song which has the line ‘we’re on the road to nowhere’ and it makes me laugh in a weird, cynical kinda way.

Add to that I’m hyperfocusing on my big writer’s butt plus my lack of weight loss and you can see what type of week it’s been. Not bad, not good…just different and sort of depressing…the kind you don’t know if you’re supposed to laugh or cry.

I’m sure you’ve all been there in one way or another. Whether it be in your writing or in something from your personal life. Share with me just how you got out of your funky mood and I’ll put you in my May drawing for a copy of my next release.

Till next week…

Lynn