Saturday, July 06, 2013

New Name and Location

Hi everyone.

I managed to move the blog over to Wordpress. Instead of Fiendish Serendipity the blog is just my name, Lara McGill.

The new address is:

laramcgill.wordpress.com

I went over so I could look a bit more professional, and develop my author brand. I hope all my followers will come over and join me there.

Affectionately,

Lara

Friday, July 05, 2013

I'm Moving

I'm moving the blog, that is. Over to Wordpress. I want to keep my blogs in one place. My current events/political blog "Statesmen Not Politicians" is there, as well as a new regular writer blog, "Lara McGill."

I've tried to figure out a way to move everything over there intact, but I'm just not that technically savvy. I'm going to set up Fiendish Serendipity over there sometime today.

For those of you kind enough to follow me, I'll post again when you can go over and see the new site. It shouldn't be more than a day or two, as I'd like to have it done before my next scheduled post on Sunday!

Have a great day everyone.

Wednesday, July 03, 2013

In the Beginning...

So far, so good. I've got my WIP on a terrabyte drive so I can work on it wherever I am. Lately, with all the stormy weather, I've actually been working on paper. And that's okay. It's a very sensual experience that tends to keep me more connected to my scenes.

And let's face it - sometimes I need that. And, a blank page of loose leaf notebook paper is so much less intimidating than a blazing computer screen trying to stare you down.

Use whatever works for you, right?

So, here's the goals recap:

Posting - I'm here. Let's see if I can keep it going.

Word Count - Averaging out to around my declared 1,667 per day. Day 1 I was way over, almost 3k. Yesterday I tutored students, so I didn't make my limit.

Planning - That's going well, too. Not always at convenient times, however. But on the upside, it's keeping my memory going strong.

See everyone Sunday!

Monday, July 01, 2013

And We're Off!

Ready for Round 3?

Me, too. After this post I'm jumping into Scrivener to see what damage I can do to my characters. I've got a lot planned - imminent death, stormy weather, and unplanned pregnancy. And that's just to start with.

My goals this round are going to be simple.

1.  Post twice a week. Without fail. I keep trying, but life keeps getting in the way. I think I'm going to have to buy a lion-tamer hat with a whip and a chair as accessories. Maybe I can tame my life a bit. (Sorry, but my brain is taking that in an entirely different direction....)

Snapping out of it. Okay.

2.  I'm doing the Camp Nano this month, so my goal for that is going to be 1,667 words per day.

3. Once I make my word count, I'm going to continue to plan out the story so I always have a scene to work on.

That's it, really. I think that's a lot to bite off. Again with the animal imagery. I have no idea what's going on here, but I think I'll take my bared fangs to my story.

See everyone on Wednesday!

Sunday, June 09, 2013

Dogpaddling to Nowhere

Hi everyone! It's been a heckuva few days since Wednesday. I've been helping students and trying to catch up on some accounting work for a client. Sadly, I've not done much writing.  But I'm still working on my planning, which is the only goal I think I put up for this round of ROW80.

One of the things I've been trying to get done is migrating Fiendish Serendipity from Blogger to Wordpress. I just can't figure out a way to do it.

Any input would be welcome!

I hope to have more to report on Wednesday.

Until then, happy creating...

Wednesday, June 05, 2013

I Forgot the Fun!

Before I wander into the forest of my own blog, I take time to appreciate others who have gone before me. Today, that was the best thing I could have done.

After reading AmyBeth Inverness's offering, my eyes were caught by her "SyFy Question of the Day." Being a huge fan, I took another detour.

Wow! Now, keep in mind I did this at work. In a math class. With lots of students. Lots of suppressed chuckles and snorts coming from my desk. Lots of amazed glances coming from my students, who were just trying to get their work done in peace.

Oops. Sorry, all.

I'm posting a link here for everyone to enjoy. And, if you're at work, spread the love. If it's allowable, of course.

http://amybethinverness.com/2013/05/31/scifi-question-of-the-day-your-lightsaber-is-actually-a-sonic-screwdriver/

This reminds me that I'm free to have fun with my work. Indeed, for it to be successful, I've got to have fun with it.

A big shout-out to you, AmyBeth, for reminding me that this is a joy as well as a job.

See you all Sunday!

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

I Took Advice!

Normally, I'm as stubborn as a box of rocks. Advice? Not generally. And not only am I as stubborn as a box of rocks, I think my head's made of up rock, too. After all, I can pound it against a problem for it feels like forever, and not see any progress. Yet, I'll keep going at it.

Isn't the definition of stupid the act of doing the same thing, but expecting different results?

So...I decided to do something different. I listened to all the great advice that came to me after my Sunday Lament.

You know what? It worked. I walked away from my problem child WIP until yesterday afternoon. All of a sudden, while I was doing something else entirely, the problems were fixed in a cascade of information that just tumbled into my brain. It was amazing.

For anyone out there that's had a spinal adjustment, it felt just like all the vertebrae in my spine rippling into place. (That makes me giggle uncontrollably, but my osteopath says that's a normal reaction. Not crazy. Whew!)

So, I want to shout out a big "THANK YOU!" to everyone that helped me, especially Bear, because, like any good bear, he's always got warm and fuzzy hugs when you need them most and he gave good meditation advice. Irene and Elizabeth, I would have thought I was crazy, walking away from a problem until you two urged me to do it.

I feel like this was a real group effort.

We Did It!!!