Now, where did I put that... ?

I've been reading a lot of blog posts, Tweets and Plurks about getting organized. It is that time of year when people resolve to be better about keeping track of their stuff and where they put it.

There are many options for writers to keep backups of their writing. The one thing I always try to do is keep an actual hard copy of anything I write (well, anything I sink a lot of time into, anyway). I print it out and put it in a plastic sleeve, and then put it in a 2 inch binder. I haven't written enough pieces for this to be a space issue just yet.

As for virtual storage and organization, this is what I do...

• I keep one copy on my desktop computer, as that's where I do most of my writing.
• I have a designated SD card for my writing and I keep copies there as well. Jump Sticks work just as well.
• I also upload my files to Google Documents, so that I can access them from anywhere I can acquire an internet connection.
  

There are online backup sites, such as www.4shared.com or www.mozy.com. Some are free, some are not.

If anyone has other ideas/ways they stay organized, please chime in. Now, where did I put that... ?

A world dusted in confectioner's sugar.

It began to snow at daybreak. At first a fine sifting, gradually increasing, until there were four inches of fresh powder by noon. Now, the flakes look like goose down. It lifts my spirit and makes me drowsy - simultaneously.

School was dismissed two hours early. My plans for the afternoon hit a hard stop, but I don't mind. I still remember the excitement of an early dismissal from school, and walking into my warm home and my mom hugging me. We'll make cookies and take care of homework without the pressure of dinner making, and bath taking and bedtime.

Snow like this slows things down. I do appreciate it - now and then.

It was only a matter of time...

Publisher Meredith to cut 250 jobs, take charge

Back in the game!

My New Year's resolution is to get focused and get back in the game of Freelance Writing. I veered off course as soon as the kids went on Summer Break last year and it was all downhill from there.

But...

I have submitted a gardening tip to a major mag and it's under consideration. I sent a query to a regional gardening magazine regarding a reprint. And, I've spent a lot of time the last couple of days jotting down ideas and researching publications to query.

I've also come to the realization that I've been much too isolated and I NEED to get out and socialize, and participate in life if I want to have a hope in hell of generating interesting ideas. So, one other goal for 2009 is to do things I've never done before. Nothing radical or bone breaking, but do some of the things I keep saying I'd like to do - like spend a weekend camping up North in Minnesota, visit the places in the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, and go hunting next Fall.

That's my plan for the year. What's yours?

Book Review - The Writer's Planner by Gayle Trent

If you're a writer, you probably have a system for keeping track of your works in progress. But, if you're a new writer, you may have found yourself lost as to how to organize your work. Gayle Trent has provided an excellent tool with The Writer's Planner.

"At last, writers have a planner all their own. This printable, editable planner includes articles, URLs of interest to writers, quotes from writers and a submission tracker. You can even list your TBR list and your favorite sites with passwords. Best of all, the planner can be used year after year as long as you save a copy of the original."

The Writer's Planner is available at the Amazon Web Store.

Book Review - The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

The School of Essential Ingredients
Erica Bauermeister
Putnam Adult
ISBN # 978-0399155437

I'm finding it hard to do this book justice. It's intoxicating, intriguing and moving. It educates and entertains. It will make you giggle, sigh, yearn for romance and grieve for loss. Everything about it is beautiful, including the cover.

The main story revolves around a cooking class - the teacher and her eight students. But the stories of the characters are interwoven elegantly throughout, each dish triggering a memory vignette specific to each student.

I loved The School of Essential Ingredients, but then again, I love to cook and I love psychology. And I especially love words that make me see the story and feel the emotions of the characters. Erican Bauermeister is a talented writer and I can't wait to see what she does next!
(January 2009, pp 256, $24.95)

Book Review - What Happy Parents Do: Ninety-Three Cents and a Little Humpty Dumpty--The Loving Little Rituals of a Child-Proof Marriage

by Carol J. Bruess and Anna D.H. Kudak

There is an old saying "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." The truth is if Mama AND Papa ain't happy, they're probably not doing their children any favors, either. Protecting and nurturing the parents' relationship is the most important thing in raising healthy, happy children.

What Happy Parents Do provides suggestions on how to take care of each other, and gives anecdotes from real couples on how they've done just that. Loving and supporting each other isn't always about grand gestures. Sometimes the little things we do mean much more.

What Happy Parents Do is an excellent little book to give to new parents!
(Fairview Press, pp 112, $14.95)