Figured out the Problem

The craziest thought came to me the other day. It makes sense. The reason that Butcher Harbor Two: Pirates Cove is not working out for me is all about timing. And the reason the timing is not working is out is because Book Three actually needs to be Book Two. Pirates Cove has to come later in the timeline to work out the way I want it.

Apparently Claire Templeton was right to fight me on this. She was not ready to go where I wanted her to go. The story that I thought would come after this one is actually the story that needs to happen now.

Luckily, I have been working through Book Three as I have been trying to complete Book Two so it shouldn't set me back very much. In fact, working on the right timeline should speed things up a bit.

Wish me luck and I will keep you posted. 

How I Got Engaged with Yoga

This is off the topic of writing but I started this plank challenge a while back. You lie on floor, raise yourself up onto your hands or elbows and hold yourself there for 15 seconds. As weeks progress you go longer until you go to"fail." After starting this I had a terrible bout of stomach problems almost placing me in the hospital. That halted all planking. Weeks went by and I still was afraid to get back into the swing of things. But I did plank here and there. 

Now months have gone by and my body craves the work. I started to plank again. I did the 15 seconds at first. I find it a struggle when I am counting. I am more concerned about reaching the magic number than getting the best work out of it. Now I go to fail. It is not the minute or more that they like at FAIL, but I go until I can no longer stand it. This makes me work longer and not get caught up on meeting that 15 second or 20 second mark. I like fail. It is different every time but lets me maximize my muscles. I did planks with squats. 15 to 30 a day. 

   Then I watched a video on yogaburn facebook page. She posted a Goddess Pose that is like a squat but you put your legs out to the sides, inner thighs facing forward, tuck your butt under. This pose was hard for me due to a leg injury when I was a child. While doing the pose my leg popped in and out. Not painful at the time, but I knew it would lead to trouble so I modified it to not as severe a squat. That put the pressure on the muscles without the popping knee. This pose, just like the plank, made my body feel good. It is amazing how a few seconds can change your day. It makes you feel great in your body and your mind. Yoga gurus say this, but I had no idea what they meant. Now I do. 

   These little poses make me happy. I feel like superman. Like I could take on the world. It makes me want to eat veggies and drink crisp, clean water. It makes me breathe deeply throughout the day. It makes me feel good! 

   So now I have added three other poses I do not yet know the names of. I am working out of a tractor trailer cab so I have a small working area. But I do poses in parks and rest areas as well. I do not care if people think I am crazy. I just keep doing it. I will add poses as my body allows. Meanwhile I have a core now. It may not be much, but it is engaged! In fact my entire system of muscles are engaged and I plan to keep it that way. 

The Writer's Life on the Road

As an Indie writer I work a real job every day. My job consists of driving an 18- wheeler as part of a team operation. That means driving 80,000 pounds of steel down the road each day safely. I am the night time driver so I sleep during the day. Our days are usually 11 hours long with a half hour break in the middle somewhere. Sure it is just driving, but driving safely involves being diligent and alert. It tires you out. When I get a day off after seven days on, the last thing I want to do is sit down at a computer for eight or more hours knocking out all the stories I have in my head from driving for eleven hours a day. I have opted to get out of the truck and move around. Writing during my work week is a mess. The truck bumps around so much writing with pen or computer is useless.
     For us going home is not a weekly deal. We leave our cabin knowing that we may not get back there for four to six months save a day home here or there on our way to a delivery. Then we get home for three to four days if we are lucky. Since we are building our cabin ourselves, that time is spent installing the latest project, be it the kitchen cabinets, plumbing, sewer, etc. We stay busy right up until we load the truck back up with supplies for the next four to six months.
     That doesn't stop the writer in me from cooking up stories on a daily basis. Sitting behind a wheel all night with no one to talk to since most smart people are in bed leaves a lot of time to build on all the novels in my head. They swarm around leaping from idea to idea. Different characters scream louder on different nights. I have worked out my Pirates Cove story in my head a million times. I have conversations between Claire Templeton and her cohorts nightly. But when I try to put that down on paper Claire takes off on a tangent. These are usually good things. But for Pirates Cove she keeps running off in the wrong direction. I have even let her run amock to see if she could do a better job than I was, but that never worked out. She runs long and boring. I like short and sweet. I prefer short chapters that throw you into the next one whether you like it or not. Claire and I have been doing battle for several years trying to get this story out.
     For those of you impatiently waiting for the next book in the Butcher Harbor series, I understand. I apologize. I sympathize. As soon as I can get this character to do as she is told and let me finish this fantastic adventure I will get it out to you. Believe me I want to share this story. I want you to come along and see where her life takes us next. It is quite a ride. I just need to get out of my ride long enough to get it on paper.
     Thank you for your patience! I promise it will be worth the wait.