I want to say thanks to everyone who posted comments or sent an email about my last posting. And yes, I'm getting back on the right track. Life happens in between writing, so you must tend to that. But for the most part, I'm back to reading about the writing craft and carving out a daily writing schedule. I'm getting into the routine of getting up early. No alarm clock, just somewhere between 5am and 6:30 am, depending on what time I finally made it to bed. I check email briefly, which has become a breeze since I left several online newsgroups. I'm an email junkie and when I hear that little beep for new mail, I drop everything and walk like a zombie to the laptop to see what it is. So, the best way to cut down on time distractions like that is just to cut it out. So, after email, I burn incense, do a spiritual reading, and meditate. I find that meditation does wonders for setting my whole day. It sets me in the mind of first clearing my mind, then filling them with positive, constructive thoughts. I'm a firm believer in the power of attraction and thoughts being energy. I could write several posts on this topic, so I'd better not get started. :-) So, then, after the mediation, I either go right into writing, or I'll read something on the writing craft, or I'll read a few pages of a novel first. Then, that's how I'm spending my writing time. Using my creative senses and floating between reading and writing. It feels good. Oh, and I took photos for the book. Oh, how I dread taking photos! I know it's probably considered a female mind issue, but yes, I think I look chunkier in pics, so I loathe taking them. So, I pull back my hair, find the appropriate black top, then set the digital camera on 5 second delay so I can find the right pose, the best angle, and the right balance of smile (one that doesn't give a hint of my braces that I thought would be off by now). So, about 40 snaps later, I was able to pick out 4 shots that I thought were half-way decent for the cover of the first book. I send them to my editor, relieved that the whole ugly process is now behind me. A couple of days later, my editor tells me that they think they want to go with the photo that I used for the self-published book because I'm smiling more and look more approachable. Oh, yeah, that's right. I didn't think about the right image to present on the author photo, and comparing the two, I have to agree with my editor (and even my agent who thought I was going for the serious author look), that I didn't have much of a smile, although I seriously felt I was smiling. It's just that I'm old as dirt and the thought of having a picture etched in time showing and old person with braces is not the most pleasant thought in the world. So, again, I was relieved when she told me that they find the first photo acceptable. Otherwise, I'd have to send in a picture with a bigger smile, which would mean another afternoon of me trying to find the right balance for the camera. And all is not lost. I'm using a few of the pics I took for the new website. And after the braces come off, hopefully the end of this month, I'm going to have pics taking and I'll be able to smile deeply on a picture for the first time in my life!