What's that sound?

That whimpering from the corner? Oh, it's my blog. I got on last week to check something, and realized my last post was March 20th!

Wow. Poor little bloggy.

Then, I decided to post something, and the new layout stuff BLEW MY MIND, so I avoided for another week. But I miss blogging, and my blogging friends, and ohmygoshyouguysIjustwenttoStorymakersanditwasawesome.

Proof: I can't even show you the best pictures. It was that awesome. Am I right, Katie? But, here are the rest, and they're still pretty great.

My fantastic roomies: Chantele Sedgewick, Ruth Josse, Katie Dodge, Shelly Brown (who wasn't a roommate but is still fantastic) and Donna Nolan

Kiersten White (who remembered my name from the book festival last summer!)  (and who is only taller than me because she's wearing heels.)

Me and Donna with James Dashner! (who also remembered my name!), Robison Wells (who promised he would remember my name forever), and J. Scott Savage (who said my name should be in a book.) (Don't worry about that grotesque stretching sound...it's just my head inflating.)

Me and Brenda Sills

Me, Jessie Humphries, and Angie Cothran

Me and Mel Fowler (and Donna, feeling all superior over that blue water bottle) (sorry, Donna!)

This may be THE ONLY PICTURE IN EXISTENCE of Erin Summerill, who was the official photographer for the conference.

I think one of my favorite parts of being at the conference was being around so many like-minded people. After the first day of classes was over, the lobby was covered with writers, camped out in chairs or on the floor, typing, writing, laying out lines of index cards. I overheard--and participated in--conversations about WIPs, protags, MG, YA, hooks, plot arcs and pitches. A few times, I looked around and thought, "I totally get all this stuff. I am with my people." It was a good feeling.

So now, Storymakers is over, I'm moved into my new house, and I'm hoping I'll have plenty of time to write and blog and paint my piano!

Guest Post-age!

I'm over at Shelly and Chad's blog today, sharing my love for these guys

Disclaimer: This Night Fury isn't mine. But I wish it was.

and sharing how they helped me shape my story's beginning. So go, check it out. (Please?)

In other news, I've decided I'm going to paint my piano. Like this:

Nice, yeah?

Or maybe this:

*drool*

Any color suggestions?

What Are You Wearing...?

And by you, I mean your characters. (I'm not a creeper. I don't care what you're wearing. Unless you got a stealer deal on it. I love awesome deals.)

Are you a fan of outfit descriptions in YA? You know, the ones where every peep-toe slingback, every matchstick jean [side note: what's the difference between matchstick jeans and skinny jeans? Anyone know?], every cute top is described in detail.

I'm okay with it when used sparingly, but every outfit of every character is a bit much in my opinion. In my own writing, I rarely give clothing descriptions, unless the clothing is important to the scene, and even then, the descriptions are pretty loose to interpretation. "He was wearing jeans. Not a dress. Nope, no dress for him today." Stuff like that.*

There's two reasons for this: A) I'm really fashion-challenged. I don't even know how to think up a cute outfit in my head. Good heavens, I don't even know the difference between skinnies and matchstick jeans. B) I think adding too much detail to clothing can date your book. Think Babysitter's Club. Think Claudia and Stacy, who were so ultra-cool and trendy in their acid-washed jeans and high side ponytails. I have a hard time not being distracted by stuff like that. I was a kid of the 90's. Those white leggings with lace that I wore with a bold, geometric print sweater and jelly shoes haunts me. Please don't make me go back.

So what do you think? Love it? Hate it? Don't-care-either-way it? Let's discuss.

*my descriptions are a little better than that. Just automatically assume in my books that my guys are wearing pants, unless stated otherwise.

A Post Not Very Related To Writing--But I'll Give It a Shot

In a fit of exuberance at the end of January, I joined a health and fitness challenge. Pretty much, I have an exercise regimen and I commit to eating healthy, check in every day on my progress, post results weekly, and post pictures every 30 days. Also, there are mini challenges once or twice a week.

All in all, I'm feeling pretty good. However, this week's food challenge may be the hardest one yet: no sugar until Saturday morning. *sobs quietly into fist* *trashes house in search for grapes*

Actually, it hasn't been that bad. Since I got the message this morning, only a third of my thoughts have been sugar-related. So I'm thinking this will be a piece of...carrot stick. *sob*

In other, non-related, non-writerly news, my husband and I went to a basketball game in Utah this past weekend. A few observations:

• Utah Jazz fans are CRAZY.
• Utah Jazz fans don't appreciate people cheering for the Heat in their arena.
• Utah Jazz fans really don't like LeBron James.
• LeBron James doesn't care.
• Booing LeBron James only makes him play better.

So, here's the writing connection we'll make: I'm lucky enough to have full support in my writing from family and friends, but I know some people have to deal with naysayers. If that's you, just let their booing propel you forward. Become the LeBron James of the writing world. Because like him or not, watching him play in real life is poetry. Unless you're a Jazz fan.

Links and A Thought Frenzy

Let's DO THIS THING!!

GUYS.

I don't know what's come over me this week. Suddenly, I'm making plans. And setting ginormous amounts of goals. And writing out lists and charts to make said goals and plans actually happen!

I think this is a good time to write out my goals, too, because I just found out about March Madness happening over at Denise Jaden's blog. It starts today, which is perfect, because I'm totally in a goal making/bashing/dominating mood! It's all about accountability and encouraging each other, so here are my goals:

• Write 1500 words a day**. Since I have about 3 hours a day I can block off for writing, I have to average 500 words an hour. That means no Internet or fridge breaks during that time. I will also drink lots of water and refuse to take potty breaks in an attempt to write faster.
• Blog twice weekly. And think of things to blog about. Speaking of, I read an excellent post about this very thing yesterday.
• Keep up (and catch up) on CP critiques. YOU HEAR THAT, LADIES? I'M ON MY WAY! *clicks on editing tools* *cracks knuckles* *spits*

Aaaand, in the spirit of blog linkage, here is one more: Elodie is giving away two books to one lucky person, one for you and one for someone younger than you, so you can share your love of reading. How awesome is that?

So, that's how my March is shaping up. How about you?

**This goal will help me get halfway to my goal of finishing this draft of my MS by May 1st, so that I'll at least have something to work with if I decide to go to the LDS Storymakers Conference. (Any thoughts on this conference? Would it be worth the five-hour trip? Are any of YOU going? *friendly creepy eyes*)

Dirty Houses and Messy Manuscripts

In the past six months, I've had the chance to meet two awesome women, my CP/BFFs Christine and Julie.

I know what you're thinking.

Yes, they are as awesome in real life as they seem online. Yes, I am actually taller than Julie. Yes, Christine does make the most a-MAH-zing scrambled eggs.

And no, I didn't watch them sleep (tempting) or hold them hostage in my crawl space when it was time for them to leave (also tempting).

When Julie came, I had just moved into my new house (living there for over a month still counts as JUST moving, right?) and there were still boxes everywhere. Within five minutes of our meeting, I had her and her husband helping me stuff boxes in a closet so we'd have room to hang out.

When Christine was here, she did my dishes on more than one occasion. She also babysat my kids while I picked my husband up from work.

Although our visits were--overall--super fun, I mention these lame things because inviting your best friend into your disheveled house is kind of like turning over your disheveled MS to a crit partner. It's not perfect. There are rough spots. There are embarrassing parts. There are things that don't work. But it's okay, because they are your friend, they love you, and they're there to help.

Turning a rough draft over for anyone to read is hard, but giving it to someone who cares about you takes away some of the pain. They have your best interest at heart. They don't want you to strain your back carrying those heavy boxes by yourself. They want you to try eating crab that's cooked right so you can get over your seafood phobia. And they want your story to be the best it can be.

It might be mortifying at times. It might make you feel like a dork. But, when the boxes are cleared, the dishes are dry, and the manuscript is fresh and tight and beautiful, you see that the most daunting tasks are better with a friend or two.

I've been tagged! I know that comes as a surprise to all of you. Who plays tag anymore, and on the Internet? Dangerous. It's all fun and games until someone trips over their spell checker. Thanks to Gina, Jenna, and Amber for tagging me!

Since I was tagged three times, with 11 questions each, I've decided to pick five from each tagger to answer. So, here we go:

1. What is your favorite YouTube video? At the moment, this one: ^
2. What was the greatest live music experience you've ever had?  This will make me sound like a super lamey lamerson, but I've never actually been to a concert, except my own in high school. So, I'll have to say, high school choir solos were great. Oh, and once we sang the national anthem at Candlestick Park in California, which is where the Beatles did their last public performance. So, there you go.
3. What was your worst date ever? I was brought to the realization this summer, after a therapeutic discussion with a friend, that all of my worst dates have included frozen yogurt. The Frozen Yogurt Dates. Those are the worst ones.
4. If money is no object, what would your dream vacation be? I would love to go on an African safari, the kind with the open air jeeps and the lions chasing me and giraffes eating leaves out of my hand. My plan, after high school, was to go to Africa and become a safari guide but that fell through. On my way home, I'd stop in Greece, Italy, and New Zealand as well.
5.   Would you rather live in a crowded city or small town? Small town, but not too small. Although, my other plan after high school was to move to New York City and live in a tiny apartment, just me and a gray cat. This also fell through, in part because I'm allergic to cats.**
6. If you could choose the manner of your death- but not the timing- what would you choose? I would choose a skydiving mishap. Then, on my 95th birthday, I would bid my family and friends farewell, get in the plane, and jump to my destiny. And enjoy the ride down.
7. Redvines or Twizzlers? Pfff, Redvines. NEXT QUESTION, PLEASE.
8.   With your iPod/MP3 on shuffle, what's the first song that comes up? "Sleeping to Dream" by Jason Mraz. What can I say? I like angst.
9. You're the producer for turning any one book into a movie, which do you choose to do? Good grief, The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness, for sure. As producer, I do get to make sure the story isn't mangled, though, right? Because that would be a shame.
10.   Flowers or chocolate? Flowers. I love flowers.
11. Favorite book, movie, and TV show? Favorite books: The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine, I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi. Favorite Movies: Stardust and Hairspray. Favorite TV show: Survivor. I will be on it someday, as soon as I get more buff and more crazy.
12. Would you rather have free Starbucks for five years or free itunes for life? I don't drink coffee, so iTunes wins hands down. I love me some music.
13. What inspires you more, music or visual (ie: photography, scenery, etc)? Music influences a lot of my creativity. But so does a long, hot shower...
14. Would you rather be able to talk to animals or to be able to speak and understand any language? I think it would be cool to talk to animals. I used to talk to dogs about my woes when I was in those awkward teenage years, so it would've come in handy.
15. Did you cry in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part two?  Was one of the times when Dumbledore asked Severus, "After all this time?" and Severus responded, "Always. "  And if not, are you sure you have a soul?  I don't let myself cry during movies unless I'm alone. If I feel the emotion rising, I chant, "It's not real. They're only acting. It's not real. They're only acting." I have vulnerability issues. As for the condition of my soul, well, let's talk about Fred Weasley and see how well my chanting works. 

Since I'm so late in the game, everyone else has been tagged, I think. So, I'm tagging...YOU! Pick one of the questions and answer it in the comments! (And if you haven't been tagged, consider this your tagsignation. [I don't know why I keep making up new words. I must be showing off for the new guys.])

**the real reason my plans fell through: I fell in love with my husband in high school and didn't want to leave him. Curse you, true love!!