The Friday Five

It is March. Is it just me, or is this year flying by? It seems like I was just celebrating New Year's! The definite up side is the nicer weather. This is the time of year when the girls can play outside during the day and I don't have to worry about heatstroke. I love Spring :-)

Now for this week's Friday Five:

1. Date night tonight this weekend is going to be going to the movies to see Beastly! Ever since I saw the preview for this, I have been dying to see it. I have the e-book, and I do like the retelling quite a bit, but I also love the Hollywood take on the Beast not being covered with fur, but tats and piercings, and basically still looking human, just drastically different then the pretty boy he once was. I think this leaves lots of room for character exploration and puts it in a different light. Very excited to see this one!
2. I have lots of great new books to read, and I have been reading the beginning chapters of several to decide which to go with next, but last night I found my winner. Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley is the perfect read for me right now. Snarky character that you know is going to go through tremendous growth, surrounded by fun, good, characters. The premise is unique and I am just really loving this story. Unfortunately, as much as I tried to stay up all night reading, my eyes wouldn't let me. But I will have this one finished today I am sure.
3. My six-year-old daughter Jordan has gotten the writing bug big time. She wants to be published, so she is compiling a list of poems . . . and they are actually quite good. After we have them together and polished, we may try the new Barnes and Noble Pubit! route for her. But I just loving being able to feed this passion and creativity with her.
4. I am processing all that I learned at last week's DFW Writer's Conference and putting it into my new Work in Progress. I have the first Act written and was poised to move forward, but I am pulling back to work more on my plot and character arc to really make it the best it can be before moving forward. I love conferences! SO much knowledge and inspiration gained last weekend! Now the key for me is to not get frozen in trying to apply it all and still get my first draft done.
5. The Pilgrims have landed in our homeschool this week! Feel free to hop on over to our homeschool blog, Keep the Way, to follow our week's journey.

How about you? Any wonderful plans this weekend? What are you reading now?

Have a great weekend! Happy Writing!

Friday Five, The Where Have I Been Edition

Hello Blogosphere!

Yes, it has been a little while since I last posted.  First I was yucky sick and laid up in bed with the most adorable little nurses you'll ever have, and then I have been in major catch up mode with school, as well as doing critiques for my writing partners, researching for my current manuscript and doing homework. 

Why yes, I said homework.

1. I am taking Bob Mayer'sWrite It Forward Plot Workshop. Now while that class is closed for the month, he has a great line up for the rest of the year.  The class is very affordable and is run via a yahoo loop so you can participate as much as you want/can and around your schedule. 
2. One of my favorite assignments he has given us so far was to do a book dissection on a book similar to our current work in progress.  I have done these before in the past as my own education of sorts, but I went in with a different agenda.  Before, I was simply trying to learn how my favorite authors crafted a chapter, balanced narrative and dialogue, introduced characters, etc;  With Bob's approach, I went in with a targeted list of questions for each chapter, as well as overall questions on story structure and analysis.  The result was nothing short of AMAZING! I learned so much from doing it this way . . . and I got something really cool out of it, too!
3. The book I chose for my book dissection was Mandy Hubbard's wonderful PRADA AND PREJUDICE.  Since I have reached out to Mandy in the past and she has always been such a rock star, I emailed her and asked if after my dissection was complete, if I could email her my results to see if they were anywhere near correct. She said yes, and on top of that, also agreed to answer a few other questions I had for her about writing . . .
4. So next week I have declared it Mandy Hubbard week here at The Ending Unplanned.  With my conference coming up next weekend and then going Ninja on my manuscript in March, I am adjusting my blog schedule.  I will be posting on Mondays on the craft of writing, Thursdays I will be doing my Book Spotlights, and then Friday I will be doing Friday Five.  So, make sure you check back in next Monday for my dissection results of PRADA AND PREJUDICE and interview with Mandy and then my spotlight of the book on Thursday!
5. My YA reading and writing world is affecting my children's playtime.  This past Saturday we were at a birthday party at McDonalds. All I knew was that there were a ton of kids and they were all having a blast running and screaming from each other.  Later, Jordan informed me that they were playing ZOMBIES VS. UNICORNS!! The girls, of course, were the unicorns and the boys were the zombies.  I have no clue if the other 4-8 year olds knew what zombies were or if my child corrupted them--this was a group from our church!!--but it was definitely a unique and creative idea for playtime . . . right?  (it should be said that Jordan never actually read any of the book, she just loved the artwork on the cover and the concept)

Finally, just wanted to leave a link to this week's post at our homeschool blog, Keep the Way, where I share our homeschool happenings! 

Have a Wonderful Weekend and Happy Writing!

Friday Five: The Beauty of Randomness

Good Morning Blogosphere!  Let's keep this post of complete randomness short and sweet, shall we? :-)

1. CW shows are back!  YAY!  I do not think it is at all a coincidence that the shows are on my DVR and I have walked on the treadmill more this week than I have in a long time!
2. I beta-read Trisha Wolfe's YA Paranormal last night . . . oh my goodness.  Such a captivating story, great plot, and hot (HOT!) love triangle.  This is another reason I love the writing community so much.  Trisha and I met on Twitter, live about 14 hours away, and yet have shared our stories, gained valuable feedback and hopefully made a lasting friendship/writing partnership.  How awesome is that? (and seriously, you need to click the link to her blog.  She does amazing reviews)
3. This week, my husband is taking the girls and me to see Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat.  We are so excited!  I love any type of live production, but plays in particular.   And I've never seen this one before. 
4. Today is Fancy Friday in our homeschool.  Two of the girl's little friends are coming over for a tea party and crafts.  Dishes are piled in my sink and the floor needs to be mopped, but the important thing is that we are close enough to this sweet family that I don't care.  (HA!)
5. This week's post is up on my homeschool blog, Keep The Way.  Hop on over and read my 6 year old budding author's poetry and my 5 year old's conversation with a princess. 

What are your weekend plans?  Favorite play you've seen?  Favorite CW show?  (Mine is probably The Vampire Diaries but I do love Hellcats, Gossip Girl, and 90210, too)

Friday Five: The Chuck E Cheese Edition

Here is my first ever Friday Five!  Are you excited???

1. This weekend my baby celebrates her fifth birthday! Where does the time go? She is growing into such a kind-hearted, spirited, hilarious little girl. Tomorrow morning, at the ungodly hour of 9:30 am, I will be sitting in a hopefully not-quite-so-crowded-because-it-is-REALLY-early Chuck E Cheese, singing Happy Birthday Cali!

2. Kindles are addictive. Like dangerously addictive.  It is so easy to check out a sample of a book and then click a button and you have the entire thing instantly.  I like instant.  I am not patient.  My husband can definitely attest to this.  Thank you, honey, for my girly bright pink Christmas present!  I heart you, and my pretty new Kindle.

3.  I am completely addicted to The Bachelor this season.  I avoided watching it for the past few years but a friend got me hooked toward the end of The Bachelorette last year and I had to check the new one out.  Watching real, grown women be completely catty and melodramatic?  Total fluff candy that I adore!

4.  I heart Oreos.  They are my new pick me up when I have had a bad day.  There may be nothing that a soggy, drenched with milk Oreo can't fix :-)

5.  This week's post, The Nina, The Pinta, The Sant-a Maria! is up at my homeschool blog Keep the Way.  Hop on over and check it out! 

Have a great weekend everyone!