Good Morning, Live Journal!!!

How's everybody doing this morning?

What's everybody got lined up for the weekend?

For those of you who are writing, want to share a little bit about what you're working on?

For those of you who just finished NaNo, what do you think NaNo did for you?

NaNo did something HUGE and wondrous for me. You folks know how much I love writing. I also know it's been a bit of a rough year and while I've kept writing, it was not with the same passion or joy I'd had earlier in the year or last year, and not with the same results/projects finished.

Now, after becoming involved with two novels during NaNo, I find myself waking up every morning with the thought, "It's time to write!" and really looking forward to it. Heck, even when I wake up close to time to get up, I think, "Only another hour until I can get up and work on my novel."

No, it's not an obsession and I'm not going to spend each waking hour writing, but that spark is back. It was never gone, but there were so many things overshadowing it, so many things crowded in around it, trying to snuff it out.

It's bright again and that makes me feel good. It makes me happy deep down inside.

So, what am I doing this weekend?

Getting ready to go to breakfast.

Got my writing notebook ready, the current book I'm reading (which I'll probably share later cause I don't remember if I've mentioned it before or not), and the screenplay that I want to make one last pass through before sending it out, hopefully on Monday. I feel like I've grown HUGE amounts as a writer this year and want that screenplay to sing. Personally, I don't think it's going to be quite what the lady that asked for it expects, but, still, I want it to be the best it can be.

Going to work on last pass through a partial that I'd like to send out on Monday, too.

Got to take youngest son to school later. He's in a Christmas Parade tonight.

Going to plot on current novel. I have a definite structure for it and while that's not really necessary this close to the beginning, I like to have that road map as kind of a guidepost. It gives me a more cohesive picture of and feeling for my novel even at the beginning.

Going to hopefully start another screenplay this afternoon. It's based on a completed novella, so I hope that means it'll be easier to write. Sometimes, adaptation to screenplay form means changing points drastically from prose form, but at least the basic story remains the same...or will in this case. So, I do have a starting point.

Got to go, though, before the restaurant gets crowded.

Everybody have a GREAT day!

I'd Like to Tell You a Holiday Story

Cause I'm a big sap and I just love holiday stories.

Today, I went to the bank to draw out money so I could get money orders for my rent. The bank happened to be inside an Albertsons store that was JAM PACKED because of an 8 hour special sale.

I went to get my money orders and then discovered they had 24-packs of dietCoke for $3.99. Wow! I had to get two.

I got in one of the monstrously LONG lines and dug in to wait.

A few minutes later, an elegant looking older lady looked around, saw me standing several people behind her and asked if I'd like to get in front of her since I only had two items and she was waiting for someone.

I thanked her, took my place, and noticed a tiny little terrier of some sort in the child seat of her basket. It was adorable and I baby-talked it like I'm prone to do. She smiled, but didn't say anything, which seemed strange cause dog people usually like it when you make over their pet.

I put my groceries up on the check-out and the line moved up some. I heard another lady join her and the lady tell her to put her groceries up first.

I glanced around and discovered a lady older than me that seemed very nervous (she was talking fast and all aflutter) and not quite as well-off as most. She had bad teeth, her hair was unkept, and her clothing was old and worn.

I smiled at her and the line moved up again.

She started talking about the little dog, which was hers, and how she couldn't get a place to live because nobody would take her and her dog and she couldn't give up her dog.

Then came the part that surprised me. The homeless woman asked the well-dressed woman, "What did you say your name was?"

As we moved up further and it was my turn in line, I heard the rest of the story. Or, part of it. The part I learned was that these two women didn't know each other, but the woman who had enough was buying groceries (and items for the dog, too!) for the woman who had nothing.

It gave me chills.

And, it made me very thankful that, even though life sometimes seems really hard, I still have my kids, my cats, my job, my home, my car, and enough food to eat.

Happy Holidays!