Well, I saw another movie and wrote another movie review -
I saw The Hangover Part II and reviewed it for http://www.cinemanerdz.com (don’t forget to also check out my Bridesmaid review while you’re there)
Here’s a direct link to the review – http://cinemanerdz.com/reviews/movie-review-the-hangover-part-ii/756
I know some of my family may feel uncomfortable with me speaking so honestly about my current weight issues and what I’m doing to fix those issues. I’m not writing these blogs for them though – they’re all for me.
So, I’m just completed a month of Weight Watchers and I’m celebrating for two reasons – 1) I achieved my 5% weight loss goal (losing 5% of your starting weight) and more importantly, 2) I left the 300 club. That’s right, there’s no longer a 3 in the beginning of my weight and there will never be a three in the beginning ever again. I’ve said this before and it obviously didn’t stick – this time is different though.
When I started Weight Watchers this time, I was told my ideal healthy weight is between 145 and 179. That seems insane to me. I can’t remember the last time I weighed that much, but dammit I’m shooting for 175. Oddly, this time around, 175 doesn’t seem to hard or so far away. I’m doing this the healthy way and the right way, but after a month, I’m already seeing the end in sight, which is both amazing and scary.
I’m making great strides though – I’m walking faster, feeling better, and my clothes are getting looser.
I’m still taking it step by step, day by day.
Oh, as for writing, I’m going to go clean the bathroom. We had to bathe both dogs tonight because they decided to play in the mud.
I’m not sure how to chalk this one up – good, bad, funny. I think it’s good and funny (not good n plenty).
The first thing that happens to me every time I start to lose weight is that the pounds fall off my backside first. What results is me joining the Saggy Bottom Club. No, my butt isn’t sagging – my jeans are. I’m almost 31-years-old, and my jeans look like I think I’m 18 all over again. It’s a small price to pay to get healthy. Luckily, I have other pants in my collection that are smaller sizes – see, I’ve always had faith that I would get a healthy weight.
So, to all my friends, family, and co-workers who may see me walking around with my pants sagging, it’s not a sign of disrespect, it’s a sign of transformation – a well-needed one.
OK, back to writing/not writing.
At the moment, I’m watching The Killing with Rachel.
If you’re a bit bummed I haven’t been on facebook lately, I am writing reviews and feature stories for http://www.cinemanerdz.com now. My latest review was for Bridesmaids (WordPress is being lame and not letting me post direct links) and I have plans to review Hangover 2 next! Stay tuned for that! Plus, if you’re a comic geek, stay tuned for a fun little feature story for all the fanboys out there (should be posted around the time of the new X-Men movie).
Ok, back to writing and/or not writing.
Actually, right now, I’m syncing my iPhone.
I read my last blog over again and it kind of sounded like a “woe is me” thing. I didn’t intend that at all, so I wanted to take a break from whining about writing to post about something else.
For those folks who know me, I’ve struggled with my weight for years. I’d say the last time I really had things under control was my junior year of high school. Since then I’ve been as high as 320 and as low as 240. That’s an 80 pound spread. I’m not happy about it (in fact, I’m pretty embarrassed about it to be honest), but it’s just the truth. I’ve done just about everything diet-wise – Atkins, South Beach, vegetarianism, and Weight Watchers. I’ve had plenty of excuses for the gains and plenty of success when I apply myself, but at the end of the day, I’ve been stuck in a cycle of yo-yo dieting. I’ve finally decided to do something about it. I’m going to do it the old-fashioned way with diet and exercise as I work to transform my life. I’m back on Weight Watchers and it’s the most confident I’ve felt in years. I’ve lost ten pounds in the last two weeks and can already feel the differences. I’m walking faster, and even went for walks that were as long as five miles last week. This is only the beginning and I can’t (and won’t) be stopped. As I lose the weight, I’m also starting to chip away from my fat kid mentality. That’s the hardest part for me so far, but dammit, by the end of 2012 I’ll weigh 175 pounds – which is a weight that I can’t remember when the last time I saw it was.
So, what’s different this time? What’s going to stop my cycle of yo-yo dieting?
Lily Bug - the only motivation I need
I’ve been off Facebook for over a month and I have nothing to show for it creatively. Sure, I’ve written a few things lately, but none of them have anything to do with my fiction writing. In fact, I’ve even started using one aspect of Facebook again this evening – not the status updates, etc. but a Facebook group. The group is actually a book club, which is something I’ve never done before (but I’ve always wanted to do). I’ve been reading a lot of books since the ban as well, so if it’s not helping me write, it sure is helping with my other passions.
Initially, I was hesitant to join the book club, mainly because it was going to be through Facebook. I’m very serious about my Facebook ban, so I didn’t want to comprise that, but my wife talked me into joining with the hopes that it might kick my writing into high gear. We’ll see if it gives me the inspiration that I crave.
If not, I think I may have to resort to giving myself a deadline. I work best under pressure and simply staying off Facebook just isn’t enough I suppose.
Do I have writer’s block? I don’t think so…I think I’m just sabotaging my progress and ultimate success.
I thought it was a good time to bring up a podcast I’ve been listening to lately. It’s called Writing Excuses and it’s hosted by three names in the genre world – Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler. I started listening to it mainly because of the lecture on writing I found on YouTube from Dan Wells (plus, he’s one of my favorite authors). They’ve been doing the podcast since 2008, so I have a lot of ground to make up. I’m about halfway through 2008′s archive thus far. I would recommend it for any aspiring author (especially those wanting to write in the genre field).
The title of the podcast got me thinking. It’s called Writing Excuses, and I find reasons not to write and when I do have time to write, I agonize over minute details or resort to writing in this blog. Based on one of the podcasts I listened to today, this is essentially writer’s block. I’m not having trouble writing or coming up with writings per se, I’m having trouble starting. I’ve written a page for two different ideas and scrapped them both. What’s the mental block that’s stopping me? Well, my wife (who is 100% correct in her assessment) says it’s because I’m a perfectionist. I think she’s right. I get so critical of my writing – even in its raw first draft form, that instead of pushing forward, I come to a stand still. To expand on this, I’m scared of failure and with the realities of the publishing business (especially these days), I know my chances are slim and none that my work actually sees a commercially published form. For some reason, I can’t wrap my head around the fact that if I don’t try at all, I’ve already failed.
Here’s to sucking it up and giving it the old college try.
We live in a time where reality stars are made famous for drinking and getting in fights at the Jersey Shore or being in high school and pregnant. Seeing these people get scooped up from obscurity is enough to get you frustrated – at least enough to get me frustrated. I know how hard I’ve worked to get to where I am – high school, good grades, college, more good grades, blah blah blah. I know I shouldn’t feel entitled, but where’s my piece of the pie?
It’s with that attitude that I became bitter and even a bit cynical. It was that bitterness and cynicism that caused me to stall my writing. Well, there are other reasons as well (which I’ll get into in future blogs), but I was pretty angry to see people like Snooki and Lauren Conrad get book deals. It really takes a lot out of me and I just get angry.
I need to really stop thinking about what I can’t control and I can’t control the media. What I can control is writing. I may not ever get published, but I’ll never get published if I don’t write.
Which brings me to my brother-in-law. I have plenty of stories about my wife to tell when it comes to the support she offers me, but this post is about my brother-in-law. If you know me, you’ll know I spend a fair amount of time on Facebook. One would say that the time spent on Facebook could be better served writing, and that’s exactly what my brother-in-law thought. On April 10th, he threw the gauntlet down and I accepted. His challenge was to stay off Facebook until I finish a first draft. I have accepted and I haven’t been on Facebook since.
These blogs are auto-posted on my Facebook account, so that’s why you’ve seen me lately. Since Facebook allows commenting from e-mails, if you respond to these posts, I’ll see your comments. My brother-in-law has allowed me to respond to the comments, so that is the only way you’ll see my on Facebook until the first draft is complete.
Okay…now back to the writing (and the blogging about writing – which, at this point, I’m doing a bit more of).
It’s been a long night/day. My daughter got sick last night, which I believe was a result of a potential food allergy we just discovered. Needless to say that after two loads of laundry, four linen changes, and a 2:00 AM trip to Meijer for Pedialyte, bananas, and Apple Sauce, the Jackson household is pooped today. Since my daughter’s daycare has an issue with bringing pukey babies to the facilities (the nerve!), I took a personal day to play nurse. She seems to have her appetite and spunk back, so I’m guessing this was a one and done occurrence. One surefire way to find out is to give her some more of what she ate last night, but I’m not ready to take another day off this week.
In between laundry and taking care of my little munchkin, I’ve been thinking about writing. The first problem with that is that I’m thinking about it as opposed to actually doing it. Soon enough though – soon enough. What my wife let me know at lunch (she came to check on the patient and nurse) is that I’m not sticking to one idea – which is true. If you read my first post, I mentioned I have a horror novel started and a YA trilogy conceptualized. Lunchtime also reminded me of another idea I was kicking around and was excited to write. Well, my wife is right. I’m too scattered (and she wasn’t helping my cause saying I should think about picture books too – love you dear). I know plenty of authors who can multi-task with several different projects and I think I can do that too – but for the sake of my sanity and desire to get something done, I need to stick with one thing at a time. During my kid’s last meal (which she actually wanted more of – good signs!), I decided I’m going to scrap the horror novel for now and only focus on the YA trilogy. Nixing the horror novel was a bit of a bummer since that’s my favorite genre to read, but of my two main ideas, it was the most under-developed. Besides, there’s plenty of zombie stuff out there these days.
Now that’s I’ve decided to go full speed ahead on the YA stuff, I got to thinking about story structure. The first novel I wrote (which will remain unpublished and as a single hard copy that my wife hangs on to) had no real structure. I had a basic premise and a basic idea of what I wanted to happen, but for the most part, writing it was a discovery. I was making it up as I went along and because of that real lack of form or plot, the novel really dragged and plodded along. I just don’t think I can be solely a discovery writer if I want to be successful. I’ve read many writing books – Bird by Bird, On Writing, Elements of Style, etc. and I’ve gained valuable lessons and inspiration from everything I’ve read, but nothing has helped me as much as this set of YouTube videos.
I’m only posting one of the five-part series, but I highly recommend any aspiring authors take a peek at them. Dan Wells is one of my favorite authors and his Seven-Point System for Story Structure is going to prove invaluable as I proceed on my goal of being a published author.
I would write more, but it sounds like the little lady isn’t going to nap after all, which is good and bad: good because that means she’s feeling better and bad because she lost a lot of sleep last night and I want her to catch up.
‘Til next time, keep writing – maybe I’ll actually be able to report some positive progress on my projects.
I’ve blogged many times before. In fact, one of my old haunts in college was livejournal. Mostly, that blog was to rant, ramble, and entertain. I’m sure I’ll do some of that on here, but the main purpose for this blog is to keep me on task on my quest to completing a novel (or two…or three).
My writing “career” began in third grade when I wrote science fiction stories about my two cats – Zoot and Adventure Cat. The stories had my cats as captains of a spaceship fighting off evil dogs. I was heavily influenced by Star Trek at the time. From there, I took stabs at writing fake tabloids involving classmates (that had an abrupt end though when my teacher found an issue), comic books, and short stories. I never really tried anything long form until one cold November when I succeeded in completing a NaNoWriMo novel, and just like most NaNoWriMo novels, it was complete garbage. It was called Gutbuster, and it was about a fat guy who lived in his parent’s basement and watched B-movies and played video games all day. It wasn’t the most interesting novel in the world, but it at least showed me that I could write a first draft. After that, I tried my hand at short stories and even won an honorable mention for one of them.
Now, I realize I probably won’t find any sort of fame as an author, but I’m sick of not giving it the old college try. So, here I am, trying.
I even gave up Facebook because it took away a lot of my writing time. My last day on Facebook was April 10th. The funny (pathetic) thing about it is that it’s now May and I’m finally working on my writing. This blog will hold me accountable (and keep my Facebook friends who miss me entertained).
And, in case you’re interested, I currently have two projects romping around in my hopper – a horror novel (involving zombies), and a YA trilogy (because everyone is writing them these days, right).
Alright, back to writing.
