Any Casperites interested in meeting?

Well, I'm not out of Casper (I live in Sheridan) but I've been out of school for several years, work full-time & take care of my 3-year-old muchkin.

Do you write much outside of Nanowrimo? I used to & it's one of those things I've always meant to get back into which is why I'm taking up the challenge this year.

Hi there! Sheridan's not that far. What 2 1/2 or 3 hours? You are really busy! Working and raising your munchkin. Boy or girl? My 4 kids are grown and now I have my wonderful grandchildren to play with.

Writing has always been a passion for me, but life kept getting in the way. I have 2 children's stories written and am in the process of trying to find an agent so I can get them published. I started a novel in 1990 when my mom was dying of cancer. It was like she was my inspiration even though the story has nothing to do with her. She was my cheering squad. "Have you written more yet? What happens next." I got the first 8 chapters done before she passed away. The book stopped there. I'll go back now and finish it. But it will need updated. At that time, Little House on the Prairie was big and it was good to have emotional and sensitive characters. I need to strengthen my main character's backbone a little.

It just seems like work always gets in the way. And then when I did get time and sat down to write, I would sit and stare at the blank screen and couldn't come up with anything that made sense. Stress used to do that to me.

But now, I have figured out how to get around the stress or at lease make it have less control over my life. I now have 2 books outlined, and am getting another story line done for November's writing spree.

I have worked for 2 newspapers as a photo journalist so I have had things published, but no books yet, which is my dream. I finally made the decision to go for it, so I work from 7am to 6 pm then am setting aside the rest of the evening to write. I have my own office downtown where I will work by day and write by night.

Next June I will be holding my first Writer's Retreat to help others learn to relax and remember why they wanted to write and how to enjoy it again. It will be a lot of fun.

How bout you? How is your writing going? Do you have a story in mind? Do you like to outline for a general idea or just write by the seat of your pants? I make notes, not an official outline, but often times, the story takes on a life of its own and does not follow the original idea. How about you?

Well, it's about a 2 hour drive so, nope, not very far. We come to Casper a lot to visit my in-laws & friends. My munchkin is a girl - she'll be 4 in January. Potty training isn't going well - I'm sure you don't miss those days. :)

2 children's books & 8 chapters of a novel? I'm impressed. I've mostly just done short stories & (sadly) half of those were fanfiction. The closest thing I've had to being published was my senior paper in college which I had to have bound & is in the college library - that and a couple fanfiction online contests. Good luck finding an agent. You'll have to let us know how that search goes. Have you tried attending any conventions? The little research I've done seems to indicate conventions are a great way to get an agent or even skip straight to a publisher.

I know what you mean about how your mom was your cheering squad. My sister does that for me. Everyone in my family will read if I ask them, but it's out of obligation. She begs for more & that's very encouraging & motivating.

Work does get in the way of writing. Plus, writing may be fun but it's work, too. I tend to get distracted by the television, the internet & chores (laundry, dishes). Every now & then the bug bites & I live & breathe writing for a few days - it's 100% on my mind, etc. But then the bug exhausts itself & I'm back to unmotivated me.

Good luck with your writing in the evenings at the office. The main reason I'm doing nanowrimo is to motivate me to stick with it for at least a month. A short-term commitment I can make - then, hopefully, I'll have enough done that I'll want to continue.

A writer's retreat? That sounds very fun.

Ok - about me...
I have a definite story in mind. It's a plot I've had cooking for about a year or so now. In the past I've never outlined & I have a tendency to write myself into corners. This plot feels like a real novel, not just a short story like I've done in the past, so this time I've been working on an outline. I also have an ending I wrote months ago that I think may belong to this story but I'm not sure so we'll see once I get to the ending. (I love how writing is like that. It's like the movie Alex & Emma - writing really is alive, ya know?) I've got most of the outline nailed down & am just working out the details of a pivotal plot point. I also want to be a bit creative with the character names but I'm not sure exactly what I'm aiming for. Also, I don't have a name for it yet.

Is sharing plots/outlines something we can start a thread & do? I'd like to know if it sounds interesting to others or if it's just me...