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Renegade Renovation #7 – Framed!

I’ve got walls! Well, er, sort of. The framing is finished, bringing the floor plan to life. Now I can really see where the rooms will be, how they feel, and look. And I’m still living, the framers didn’t do away with me.

The reason being, they were supposed to arrive about three weeks ago or so. And then they called and said they were running a week behind. Well. That’s not uncommon in construction, with all the job shuffling they have to do. But what it did for me, was bring my attention back to the floor plan.

Now mind you, this plan was drawn and set in stone months and months ago. I was happy with it. Until I looked at it again. Now it looked like a bunch of square blocks on a page. So I got my chalk line out, and laid it out on the floor. And it still looked like a bunch of square blocks. Eww. No character at all. Um, okay maybe it represented my personality, but I swear that’s not who I am on the inside.

I grabbed a black marker and drew angles on the floor. Cutting off sharp corners and replacing them with angles. Setting perfectly straight walls at a slant. And guess what? I loved it. The person who’s job it was to transfer the angles to a drawing didn’t love it. But bless him, he did it anyway.

And when the framers came in, they didn’t bat an eye. I did catch a brief eye roll, and pretended not to notice. Professionals to the end, they built it just like it was drawn. Now, it’s got character.

NaNoWriMo

November is National Novel Writing Month, or time for NaNo as most writers call it. It's the time of year when writers from all over the world get together and write. I mean, just write. No editing, no critiquing, or rewriting. Here's the link if you'd like more information. NaNoWriMo.

The goal is to write a 50k word story in a month. It's supposed to be a great exercise in simply getting the words of your story on paper. As someone who struggles with each word, because it has to be exactly the right one before it hits the page, I'm not sure how well this will work for me. But I'll keep you updated.

This is my first time to take part in NaNo. I really wanted to do it, to challenge myself to just write. Without worrying about what comes out. And of course, I'm traveling. Hey, I'm up for it. Wish me luck!

Blog on the Road

Can you believe it's November? I can't. It seems October just flew by without notice. And I didn't blog much. *hangs head in shame* Of course it could be because I'm up to my ass in alligators here in Atlanta. Yep, you read that right. Atlanta.

Coming to you live, well okay, not live, remotely then. The truth is, I have a face for radio, not streaming video but I digress. Here I am at CNN Center in downtown Atlanta. Smiling like an idiot. Why? Just appreciating the irony.

In case you don't remember, I've moved away from the big ATL. And here I am hard at work, only a couple hundred miles from home. But work is work these days, and I'm thankful.

Hope you're having as much fun as I am!

Blog Hopping

Today, I'm the guest blogger at You Gotta Read.

Come on by and tell us, do you prefer a complex plot, or not?

Another Excuse

But a cute one, no? There are days I wonder why I can’t get any writing done. The moment I turn to my desk during the day, this is what I see. She must be there. Some days it’s not too bad, but if it’s a strechy day, she tends to stand and arch up in front of the screen constantly which makes it hard for me to see, and we argue. Not much though. She usually gives me the cat eye, and I sit down and be quiet. I’m a well trained person. Just ask her.

Renegade Renovation #6 - Wild Things Part Two

During a trip to the local coffee haven, my partner told me he saw the most interesting snake outside by the stairwell, back at the soon-to-be-house. He claimed he got a good look, and then it disappeared.

“That’s nice.” I said, only half listening while driving. Something about him finding a snake.

You’re bright, I’m guessing you already know the end of the tale, as it were. But it makes me feel better to share it with someone. And who better than you?

Later that evening, after having shuffled lumber, plywood, siding, and other assorted construction materials around all day, the only thing I wanted was a place to sit. Remember, this place is under construction. So it’s not like there’s a cushy sofa or anything. I plopped myself down in a camp chair. The one closest to the cooler. Sat there for a few minutes, stretching...relaxing. Contemplating the progress of the job.

I finally got up the energy to dig around in the cooler for something cold to drink. Twisted the cap off, took a long pull and set the bottle on top of the glass topped table on the other side of the chair. (I know, glass?? You’re saying. Well, it was here, so I’m using it.) As I released the bottle, I took a better look at the table top, making sure the bottle didn’t fall off. Once my gaze focused on the table, I shot right up out of the chair as if my butt were attached to a rocket. Emitting a girlie squeal, I ran for the nearest exit.


Would it be remiss of me to mention that the hero of this story wasn’t really keen on trying to get rid of this critter? We returned to the scene, and there under the table, in all his scaly black and yellow glory sat a young Ringneck snake. (By young, I mean small, as in I feel stupid for squealing small.) Head held high, in the traditional snakey pose, on alert. My hero picked him up, and calmly put him back outside where he belongs. The man gets kudos because he didn’t laugh within range. But he was sporting a broad smile as he walked away.

Rather anti-climatic ending, don’t you think?