Oh, come on. I’m not the only one this gets a chuckle out of, am I?
Flash Friday Fiction (Belated): Blah Blah Blah
Blah Blah Blah – 158 words
“When one door closes, another one opens.”
“There’s freedom in failure.”
She wanted to scream with rage, to flail upon every pillow, upon every person who’d said those words to her. They’d said them often these last few days, vague faces aiming at consolation, their efforts only reminding her of what she’d lost. She wanted to break things, to hear the satisfying disintegration of what once was, if only to be sure it wasn’t her who was disintegrating.
“Everything you want is on the other side of fear.”
She did none of those things. She sat quietly in her chair, clutching the photograph, the one they’d taken on their honeymoon. At the time, it’d seemed funny, that doorway to nowhere. Now, a painful mockery.
“Never, never, never give up.”
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”
She closed her eyes.
“Tomorrow is a new day.”
“Platitudes suck,” she said. She tore the photo in two, smiling.
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It feels SO WEIRD not to be writing for Flash Friday today, people. But do you know why I’m not? Because this week, I’M THE JUDGE!! So come on over and scribble me a tale, would you?
However, I realized I’d forgotten to post LAST week’s offering, so hey, bonus! We had to incorporate something about “freedom” in our 150 (+/- 10) word limit. I don’t think it’s my best work, and yet I’ve felt the way my main character does, so it still works for me.
My Sugarless Summer: The Home Stretch
Well, here we are in August. In three more weeks, I can go face down into a vat of cookie dough if I want. I might.
But I hope I don’t. This experiment hasn’t been the runaway weight loss success story I had hoped for (owing, of course, to the fact that when I give up one thing *cough SUGAR cough*, I’m SO GOOD at finding other things with which to replace it *cough PRINGLES cough*). Last I checked I WAS down about 8 pounds. But I haven’t checked this week. And, well, the family has been away this week. And, um, let’s just say it’s good I don’t live alone, because I indulged in a lot of bad food. A LOT. So who knows what the scale will say tomorrow?
Weight aside, though (ha, as if), this experiment HAS been a success in other ways. First and foremost, I’ve actually done it. I didn’t cave in week one. I didn’t cave in month one. And here I am, nine or so weeks later and I’m still not eating sugar. Pretty darn cool. Second, there are benefits I HAVE noticed, namely that I truly don’t think I’m as moody, and I’m definitely not feeling quite as enslaved to food. Notice I didn’t say I felt free, as I’m still waging a mighty battle against my remaining carbohydrate addiction. Still, I feel better ENOUGH that I’m feeling willing to tackle MORE changes.
For a week in July I had done well in moving my Pringles or other indulgences (mac and cheese) to a meal; I could eat them, I just had to ensure I ate them at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Were I hungry between meals, I could snack on fruit, veggies, or protein. This worked great and I dropped pounds, but somehow I fell away from that again.
My goal, therefore, for the next few weeks is to get back to that: limit problem carbs to a meal time and eat them with protein. Once we reach September, I’m contemplating giving up wheat. I’ve been reading Wheat Belly, which is telling me modern wheat is the root of all evil. I know just from paying a teensy weensy bit of attention that what still calls my name beyond anything else are wheat products. Pringles (yes, they are a potato chip product, but they are made of potatoes and wheat). Macaroni and cheese. Tortillas. Going gluten-free again as well as sugar-free may be a useful next step to see if it helps (and since my son already eats gluten-free, we have gluten-free options in the house, so it wouldn’t be so bad).
We’ll see. First goal is to stop the inhalation of crappy foods and get back to the 3 meals a day plan. Second goal is to celebrate September 1st, because even if I’m not exactly where I wanted to be, I HAVE refrained from eating desserts or anything with sugar as the first or second ingredient, and if you’d asked me in May if I’d thought I could do that, my answer would have been, “BWAH HA HA. Not.”
Meanwhile, go eat a cookie for me.
Monday Funnies: Pet Peeves
I hold no illusions; I’m pretty sure my cats know they basically own me.
The Joy and the Agony
Last spring I sent out eight queries seeking representation for my first book, “A Man of Character.” Why only eight? Several articles I’d read suggested querying in small batches; if no one requested more materials, it meant the query itself wasn’t strong enough, and it would be better to know that after a few attempts, rather than to blow one’s chances with numerous agents in one fell swoop.
I got back a few form rejections, one personal one, and that was it. Until two weeks ago, when an agent wrote requesting a partial – the first fifty pages of the manuscript plus a synopsis. I was ecstatic! I was over the moon! An agent had requested more of my work! I knew well enough that the chances were still slim, but hey, it was a toe in the door, right?
A few days ago the agent let me know that my work wasn’t right for them. They gave me a small amount of feedback and of course encouraged me to keep querying.
Bummer that.
But I shall not give up. I shall let the feedback percolate in my mind, to figure out how I want to address it, and in the fall I shall try again. Perhaps with a few more agents, since I know my original query snagged at least one agent’s attention.
For those of you also seeking representation, or who’ve landed that coveted agent, do you have any great advice?
I’m thinking all I really need is Finding Nemo’s Dory in my ear, singing, “Just keep writing. Just keep writing. Just keep writing, writing, writing…”