MIA, just for a while

Last week was the holiday; this week my family is on vacation. I've been on the computer so little--I miss connecting with so many fine people and I miss my work-in-progress--but sometimes the distance is a good thing.

I thought to come and explain my absence, since Colorado has my attention right now.

Next week I'll be back and in full swing! Hope all is well.

What news have I missed?

A Weekend of Women

A lone Janna
three states (okay, just the corner of one)
food aplenty
and antiques.

Priceless.

A couple Saturdays ago I left town, bags loaded with reading material and edible goodies, mind set on time away and important visits.

I put almost a couple hundred miles behind me and met fellow writer and bloggy buddy, Melissa from Grosvenor Square. (And I kick myself for not asking her to pronounce that G-word for me. I stumble over it every time.) We had lunch at a quaint little hole-in-the-wall, where we talked shop and life. Melissa, a doll in her own right, was accompanied by her daughter, a sweet, talented little thing. We had a great time!

Afterward, I continued on to see my grandma. She's been in a care facility of sorts, since a car accident left her slow to move and confined by a neck brace. She's doing well, and our visit was pleasant. I admit, we've never been close, and the warm fuzzies and bonding I'd hoped for didn't come to pass. Still, our one-on-one time was important, and I'm glad I went.

One of the highlights of my trip was visiting antique stores along the way and back: Most of you know it's one of my favorite pasttimes. Plenty caught my eye, but I seemed in a bookish mood. I bought two old texts, one called the Essentials of English Composition, published in 1912, and the other Journalism. Its moss green cover caught my eye first, but then I was endeared by cursive handwriting that claims the inside cover. And its date, 1916. When I scanned the table of contents and read the following passage from within, I had to have it:

Women in Journalism
It seems to be a mooted question whether the newspaper world has anything much to offer them. According to the best opinion only those who feel that they have special talent for the work, and who are willing to deprive themselves of home and social life to an extent not required in any other business, except that of acting, should think of taking up journalism as a means of livelihood. Unlike teaching or almost any other calling, the labor of news getting and news editing is, from its exacting and severely practical nature, essentially a man's work...

Ohhhh, I could go on, but that's a decent taste. Isn't it a hoot? I had to bring it home.

All in all, a worthwhile weekend of women.

Have you had any special weekends of late?

Something She Got Excited About

It's a cheesy post title. But I'm really chipper today! And my cheesiness can't be helped.

After school we'll be headed out of town for a weekend in Minneapolis. Traveling with my family always gets me excited, and here are some reasons:

*I love setting out on an adventure, knowing we'll build great new memories with our daughters
*Staying in a hotel peels my banana
*Eating out every meal? I am so.there.
*I get to load my totebag full of books and notebooks and pens and neat office supply fetish stuff (and the laptop), with lofty (and unattainable) goals of both reading and writing 'til I've had my fill
*I eagerly anticipate snapshots I can stow away for later use
*Shopping!
and
*We get a break from it all

So I'll be back Monday. In the meantime, tell us what you like about traveling.

Have a great weekend!

Janna: Unplugged

I did it. I actually made it through the weekend without getting online. And I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms! Oh, I could have logged on; two brothers-in-law had laptops (with wireless internet), and a sister-in-law had her does-it-all cell phone. But I rather enjoyed being "unplugged." And though I took Sally, my AlphaSmart, I didn't use her either. I did a lot of reading, a lot of eating, and spent quality time with my husband's family. It was a grand weekend, full of fodder for my writing. (Don't ask what I did that my sisters-in-law dared me to do...) How can one go wrong with any of that?

I didn't have anything pertinent waiting in my inbox when I returned, rejection or otherwise. What I want to know is, when days pass with no reply, does it mean A) they've not had the time to look at my query yet, period B) they didn't like it and have moved on to other stuff, without letting me know or C) they think they kinda like my storyline and they're stewing over whether or not to request more from me? Yeah, I know it could be any of these things. But it's the not knowing that's toughest.

I do feel a renewed surge over Novel 2. I haven't touched it in a few weeks, but at last sit-down I'd made my way through part of the second chapter. I need to revisit it and get to work, so as not to fritter any time away. I think it would work to my advantage if, once an agent expresses interest in working with me, I can say I've conceptualized and begun work on a second book.

What about you? What's big for you? What are you working on right now?

I'm Leavin' On A Jetplane

Well, not quite a jetplane, but I've had the song stuck in my head all morning...

We're off for a weekend with Hubby's siblings and their families. This time I'll likely not have internet access at all, so I'm taking an official break from all things cyberspace. I'll return Tuesday, hopefully to something other than rejection waiting in my inbox.

Have a great weekend! And good luck with all your endeavors, writing and otherwise.

Inspiration On The Road

Our trip was a success! Our purpose was primarily one of business, as we delivered a van, a car door, and rims near and in Chicago, all of which my husband sold through his eBay business. But we made it a family event, too, stopping at a superb mall in Iowa on the way (I found a fab coat on clearance at Old Navy for $4.99!) and visiting the Museum of Science and Industry in downtown Chicago before heading home. We ate delicious food here and there along the way, absorbed some quality family time, and tuckered ourselves out big time. I'm ready to do it again!

But also, I'm proud to report, I made some progress on the writerly front, as I'd hoped to do. The several hours spent in our mammoth, bumpy Ford truck on Tuesday didn't bode too well for handwritten progress on my WIP, but I soaked up the recent edition of the Writer magazine (March 2008). I found it full of great, useful information, some of which I'll try to share in the next couple of days. I got some satisfying study of the Scriptures done, and read a decent amount into the newest book (Home to Holly Springs) by one of my favorite authors, Jan Karon. Each of these steps served, it their own ways, to inspire me. By the time we pulled in to the parking lot of Tuesday night's hotel, ideas for my WIP were bouncing around in my head. I jotted down what notes I had the energy for, sticking the other thoughts in a mental file. Yesterday, around further travels and our time at the museum, I wrote additional notes, not allowing the chance for anything to slip through the cracks. Today, though, I fought my unsteady pen (still in that giant, bumpy Ford we were) and wrote out several pages for the ms. I could see everything unfolding in front of me, and still can. My hope is to transfer it all to Word this evening and, perhaps, continue at a good pace.

All of the above, I should say, took place around comments directed at Hubby, like "Well, I sure wouldn't have to worry about indecipherable writing if I had an AlphaSmart..." and "Bah! I have so much floating around in my head but no decent way to get 'em out..." or "Wouldja look at that?! The Writer has a giant advertisement for AlphaSmarts!" :D I think I just about have him talked into "gifting" me one. I'll keep you posted...