HOUSEWORK
I’m a little grumpy. Today I scrubbed the kitchen floors, vacuumed the carpets, dusted and did lots of the things I’ve let slip a bit during April because I’ve been focusing on writing. The house looked great when I’d finished, but when hubby arrived home he didn’t notice a thing. This tells me that maybe the house didn’t look as bad as I thought. It also gives me little incentive to hurry up and do all that cleaning stuff again. And yes, it made me grumpy.
Does your husband notice when you do housework?
PUBLISHER SUBMISSION CALLS
I’ve come across a few submission calls and contests that I thought I’d share.
Avon Impulse is requesting themed stories. The subjects range from tales about spooky mansions to ball games and Halloween and Christmas stories. Full details are at Avon Impulse.
Entangled Romance is actively acquiring category length historical romances. The stories can be set between 950 – 1950 and have any setting. An alpha hero is a must. Full details are at Entangled Publishing.
Nas Dean has details of Harlequin Mills & Boon Medical Romance, They’re looking for new authors. Full details are at Nas’ blog. Submissions close on 7th June 2012.
SERIES BIBLES
I’ve asked this question before, but it’s worth repeating. I have several series under way, and I always mean to do a series bible. For one reason or another I never seem to get around to doing one. I keep all the pertinent facts inside my head and rely on my memory to recall facts. Not always the best option! As I mentioned yesterday, I’m rereading Fancy Free to reacquaint myself with some of the small facts and snippets that I need for the book I’m working on at present.
For those of you who work on series – how do you keep all the small details straight in your series stories?
May 2nd, 2012 at 3:40 am · Link
My husband never notices when I clean but he expects me to notice if he cleans one thing.
May 2nd, 2012 at 3:40 pm · Link
Nodding. This sounds very familiar.
May 2nd, 2012 at 3:58 am · Link
My husband does not notice clean but makes sure to tell me if HE CLEANS something.
Thanks for all the submissions info.
As for the story bible- Evernote (software/app) is where I am not keeping all research and notes. I did not use Evernote when I wrote my first book and I wish I had known about it then.
May 2nd, 2012 at 3:43 pm · Link
LOL This!
I have Evernote too, but I’ve only just started using it. I need to experiment with it a little more, I think.
May 2nd, 2012 at 4:33 am · Link
Men are always told they can’t multitask. That’s my excuse. After a hard day at work my priority is getting a beer out of the fridge and relaxing for a while. There’s no way I can focus on other things at that time, like how clean the house is!
To be fair it’s hard to notice if Shelley has cleaned because the house is always tidy!
Should get some points for that comment.
May 2nd, 2012 at 3:46 pm · Link
LOL Mr Munro. – maybe half a point.
May 2nd, 2012 at 6:20 am · Link
Cleaning is never fun…I’ve been doing a lot of it this week..Getting ready for some visitors who will be staying with us.
May 2nd, 2012 at 3:47 pm · Link
The thing with cleaning is that you turn your back and suddenly dirt descends, and it’s time to clean again.
May 2nd, 2012 at 7:59 am · Link
Ref: Cleaning
Brinda took the words out of my mouth. If I clean, hubby makes himself invisible so I won’t give him something to do.
If HE cleans, he expects high praise.
Ref: series bible
I have a post on that coming up! I think it’s scheduled for the end of the month.
I don’t write as much as you, but I have to keep a bible or I’ll forget key details. This is especially important for fantasy or SF.
May 2nd, 2012 at 3:50 pm · Link
Exactly! Hubby is brilliant and he helps me a lot around the house, but he expects lots of thanks and praise *eye roll*
I look forward to your post, Maria.
May 2nd, 2012 at 10:31 am · Link
Shelley, I use Scrivener (which also has a version for the PC now). I can keep all my character sheets and setting sheets in one place – and when I start a new book, I can either copy and paste the old info into the new file, or I can just refer to the old file. That way I never have to rely on memory, lol!
May 2nd, 2012 at 1:46 pm · Link
Hi!
I used to do my series bibles on the comp but lost a lot of info one time the comp crashed. talk about a breakdown mentally lol.
I use small lined notebooks now, I tab the pages for characters, settings, etc. and it usually tucks into my purse so I can make notes in it throughout the day or when I’m out and away from writing. I LOVE it because all I have to do is set it open beside me while I write and reference it. Awesome.
I’m a Carina Press Author too! nice to meet you!
Bonnie
May 2nd, 2012 at 3:54 pm · Link
Hi Bonnie! I have notebooks that I sort of use, but they’re not very ordered, which is part of my problem. I need more order so I can find stuff easily.
I live in fear of computer crashes too. I’m paranoid about backing stuff up.
May 2nd, 2012 at 3:51 pm · Link
I’ve thought about Scrivener. Something to investigate.
May 2nd, 2012 at 3:55 pm · Link
I meant to ask – is it an easy, intuitive program to use or is there a big learning curve with it?
May 2nd, 2012 at 5:25 pm · Link
Thanks for sharing the links… hmm your hubby sounds like mine:)
For my series I’m working on, I keep extensive notes in Scrivener, detailing what i want to remember for each book… it’s growing a bit out of control in fact…:)
May 2nd, 2012 at 8:32 pm · Link
My husband never notices when I do housework, but he will notice if I don’t. lol
One time the comforter got washed and I tried a new scent of fabric softener and he actually noticed it. But it was only to tell me he didn’t like it….lol
But when he takes out the trash, puts a new trash bag in the can, cleans a dish, or vacuums up something…you’d think I’d have stabbed him if I don’t praise his efforts in doing what he did.
Oh you took out the trash…good boy. LOL
May 3rd, 2012 at 2:02 am · Link
My family know to give me a VERY wide berth when I’m doing housework because nothing gets me in a worse mood quicker! I’d so much rather be writing.
Thanks for the idea of the series bible. I hadn’t really used anything organised in the past, but I can see that it’s a good ploy.
Finally, I plan to review Fancy Free on my blog very soon. Please could I send you some questions so I can add a little interview? That would be brilliant.