Whatever happened to Isabel???

Was it Top Chef 3?

Update on To Kiss An Angel.

At home with SVRWA, my local chapter and joining two more RWA chapters.

A potential first contest entry.

All these and more are the topics or one big blog depending on how I edit this hodge podge…  Coming to this blog this very week!

I know, I’ve been gone, but I hope not forgotten.

to my post! I’m not sure where it went, but I’m going to have to re-write and repost. I’ll be back soon!

Umm, the daytime gig has kept me busy this past week.

I’m happy to report, however, that I’m writing To Kiss An Angel, my regency historical. Though, I’m not married to this plot, I’m writing it anyway, I can already see the problems with it: the characters want to do something else. Thanks, you guys. LOL

So here it goes again: Coming up this week.

A recap of my last chapter meeting.

A Top Chef blog - I’m fan- a heartbroken fan.

Holy crap, I wrote that? My first blog on my story To Kiss An Angel.

Now watch that ticker and tracker move toward the finish line as I write this book.

I’m over at Romantic Inks today, come and check out my post!

I’d like to thank Erica Ridley for granting me the Reciprocal Pimp award — read all about it here. That totally made my week! Thank, thank you, Erica.

Last week I said I was going to post my goals for the rest of 2007. I sat on my list until now, because at the time it looked a bit daunting. As it turns out, however, I wrote a new list again this weekend and guess what? All but one goal was missing from the original list. Without further ado here it is - in all it’s original glory.

• Write 4 pages a day - the goal is to finish the first rough draft of my book. Yes, I know this one sounds scary, but you know what? If I don’t do this, I’d go an entire year without attempting to finish a book.
• Finish 1st rough draft of TKAA
• Go to SVRWA chapter meetings once a month when scheduled.
• Visit blogroll at least once a week. — I’d love to visit your blog! If you have one tell me and I’ll add you to my list.
• Read at least 1 book a week.
• Keep communication open with the readers/critiquers of TKAA. Email them at least once a week.
  
• Study grammar and style guide for ten minutes each day.

Come December I’ll go over this list again and see where I am. I know for a fact that the most difficult task there is to write 4 pages a day. The easiest one is the grammar and style guide studying, since I’ve been doing that quite regularly.

Coming up this week here at Chez Isabel,

A recap of what I learned this past Saturday at our chapter meeting.

A Top Chef blog - I’m fan- a heartbroken fan.

The goings on at other writers’ blogs

New releases, what’s in your/my TBR and TBB piles.

You Tell Me: What’s up? How are you doing with your writing goals, or any goals? Oh, I’m looking for a quote of the week I can add to my sidebar, got one? 

 

 

 

I’m guessing there are 19 weeks (counting this week) left in 2007, I can write a rough - rough-rough first draft of my book by then end of the year. I’ll be posting my goal list tomorrow.

I’m on way to finally getting my writing act together. I’m feeling pretty confident today.

Thanks! To all those wonderful writers (pre-published and published) out there who have worked so hard at their own craft, and have been so kind to share their wisdom with yours truly. To my wonderful friends who encouraged me every single day.

I’m very fortunate to have you all.

Happy Tuesday, dear readers!

I was hanging out at Tess Gerritsen’s blog the other day and found this informative article on querying and landing an agent. Speaking of landing an agent, Erica Ridley just got back her revision letter from her agent, now she’s looking for title suggestions for her book formerly known as Trevor And The Tooth Fairy. Read that excerpt! It’s GOOD.

I’m going to have to wait until I get home from the dtg (daytime gig) before I can submit my suggestions. And I’m looking forward to it, coming up with book titles is so much fun!

Ain’t that the Tooth? *G*

Congrats to my pal, Lacey on accomplishing her goal! Visit her here to find out what she’s done.

On the topic of accomplishing goals and staying on track, MS Maven, Erica has written not one but two post on goal setting and accountability.

Ready to set some goals and most importantly, accomplish them? Start by reading Erica’s essay at the MM blog here and the continuation at Erica’s blog

I’m off to set my goals!

I’m addicted to Bravo’s Top Chef 3 Miami.

***If you’re a fan of the show, and have not seen this past week’s episode, beware of spoilers*

Now, I’m not a cook, I don’t do well in the kitchen other than doing/cooking the basics, and even then, you won’t be seeing me in this kind of competition anytime soon. LOL

Top Chef, now in its third siZZling season (had to throw that in there ), features passionate individuals, some have attended culinary academies all over the country and the world and some are self-taught. Besides cooking, these Cheftestants have in common the drive and desire to reach their goals in this industry.

The winner of Top Chef receives $100,000 to further his/her culinary career, a feature in Food & Wine mag and a weekend ( I think) in Aspen, CO., and of course, the title of Top Chef and bragging rights, blah, blah.

I’m not much for “reality shows” these days, not since the early days of MTV’s The Real World have I been overly excited over a show like this one.

A few episodes ago I started seeing the connection between my writing career and this show.

It all “clicked” for me at the end of this past Wednesday’s episode. Top Chef, for me, has so much to teach about writing and pursing a career in publishing my books. But like I said, never did I put two and two together (consciously) until this week’s losing team attitude came under my scrutiny (and that of the Top Chef judges).

At risk of going all over the place…let me say this first:

The DH is in sales and like me he reads a lot. In recent years, he’s been reading tons of self help books on “making a sale”, “making money”, “motivating others”, you know which ones I’m talking about. Some time this past week, I happened to pick up his copy of Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff About Money, then other books like Rich Dad, Poor Dad, The Millionaire Next Door The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and Creating Raving Fans.

These books have one “theme” in common, (besides helping you figure out how to be more financially successful), they all claim successful people have the “right attitude”, success and achieving your dreams/goals starts in your mind first before they materialize in your life. Makes sense.

I saw this theme/theory play right in front of my eyes during this past Weds episode 7 of Top Chef 3. To put this in context let me give you a -in my own words- synopsis of what happened during that episode:

After this episode’s immunity challenge was completed, Padma Lakshmi the host of Top Chef informs the remaining contestants: Tre, Sara M., Casey, Howie, Hung, Brian, CJ, and Sara N., they are going out that night to a popular Miami club. The chefs do their happy dances, go on to dress up to the nines, hop in a stretch Hummer limo and then arrive at the club -but it turns out they are not going to be hitting dance floor a la Justin Timberlake - they are there to COOK for the late night party goers of the club. LOL.

You can imagine the look on these poor chefs’ faces when they realize they are not only going to cook in their finest clothes “clubbing” - high heels and low cut tops for the women - but they are going to draw numbers and divide themselves into two groups:

Team Black: Tre, Hung, Brian and Sara M.

Team Orange: Case, CJ, Sara N. and Howie aka the “bulldog”

As Team Black immediately sets out to plan out their menu for the drunken soon to be hung over late night party goers, Team Orange is on edge.

Everyone on Team Orange KNOWS Howie is the most difficult person to work with. He doesn’t do well in teams and while he might be an ok chef -if you like food seasoned with his sweat - he is an @$$.

Howie’s teammates enter the challenge on the defensive, and I don’t mean playing “defense! defense! defense!” to what was suppose to be their true enemy: Team Black, but on the defensive against each other and self appointed team captain, Howie.

Deeply affected from the get go is young Sara N. Already upset that she’s not going to be nowhere near “da club” that night, and she’s going to have to cook in a super low cut top and heels, the clincher is how much she dislikes Howie and his bulldoggish ways. I knew right then and there Team Orange was going to be the losing team and more importantly, I knew Sara N. had just chosen her attitude: a negative one, and therefore she had just put herself on the elimination chopping block.

Through the competition all we got from Sara N., were complaints, and inconsistent cooking. She under seasoned her sliders and added ice to a simple banana shake. She was moving in slow motion. Sadly none of her teammates offered to help her out when she fell behind in her service. Sara N. closed herself to the world and therefore to her goal of remaining in the competition.

Sara N., went home that night after telling the judges she had been “demoralized” because of the fact she had to cook in heels. One of the judges actually liked the slider she’d served him, but the other judges ate under seasoned sliders and only one of them got to try her banana shake.

IF ONLY! *Someone once told me these are the saddest words in the English language*

If only, Sara had put her best foot forward (heels or no heels) and have chosen to give her best in this challenge. The judges (and viewers) know Howie’s days are numbered, he could have gone home instead of Sara, but it was Sara’s poor attitude that wiped her out of the competition and sadly affected her cooking abilities. And cooking is the reason why she was in the show in the first place.

Personally, I believe Sara N. will be ok after losing the competition, in retrospect she’s gained more out of this experience based on this single lesson. She will become a better Chef for it. I hope she believes knows this, too.

Now going back to how this all connect with writing.

IMO, the point of this Top Chef challenge is not about cooking, but how to roll with the punches without losing sight of your ultimate goal. In the case of the Chefs is winning the competition, in the case of the writer is writing and publishing books.

Make the best out of every situation, don’t assign blame, laugh off your mistakes (and be sure not to make them again), and banish all and every negative thought. Going into any venture like in our case, writing, with a bad attitude almost guarantees defeat, because a crappy attitude can and will affect your writing, and ultimately your goals.

“Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure.”

Norman Vincent Peale

You Tell Me: Have you noticed a change for the better (or worse) in your writing when you have a change of attitude? How do you overcome a negative attitude?

*Oh Bright Beginnings! Starting a new book*

Advantages:

1. You can actually write a rough draft to what could become a really cool book.
2. You learn what works for you in terms of managing your own time - especially your writing time.
3. You don’t leave your chair until you write your daily page goal - the last thing you want is to write sixteen pages the next day when you know you not only have work during the day, but grandma is expecting you for dinner.
4. It turns out you can write an entire scene when you’re not inspired. So what if it stinks? Now you have something to work with.
5. You let go. You turn off the inner editor that pesters you the moment you put two sentences together. With a deadline looming you write NOW, edit later. Much later.
6. You find out that writing is like any job, you must give it your 110%.
7. Writing is work.

Disadvantages:

1. A demanding cat who sits in front of your screen right at the moment when the words finally start to come to you.
2. You skip meals and live off Cherry Coke, Kit Kats, and whatever else you can find in your nearly empty cupboards and refrigerator.
3. Household chores are neglected. Me thinks I should move this one to advantages…
4. You cry and come so close to biting your nails because after nearly two hours nothing, NOTHING, N o t H i N g comes to you and you’ve written zero words.
5. You’re missing out on hanging out with friends and family.
6. You’re crankier than usual.

You Tell Me Now: Sound familiar? What would you say are your advantages and disadvantages when starting a new book?