I'm thankful for...

DAY 1: I am thankful for my wonderful husband, Matt.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone! Tomorrow is the day when all across the country, people are focusing on and giving thanks for what they have. I've been thinking about what I have to be thankful for a lot in the past few months because I know I don't focus on those things enough and I have so very much to be thankful for. So, one of my goals for the next year is to identify and focus on one thing I'm thankful for every day, for 365 days.

I'm certain I have at the very least 365 things in my life that I'm thankful for. Rather than try to think of all of them, diluting the huge significance or any one in my life, I'll just look at one per day.

Today, my first day, I will focus on the thing I am most thankful for out of the many things in my life that I appreciate: my husband. I don't know how I got so lucky, but I found the one person who can tolerate me and I can tolerate, not just for a few years, but for a lifetime. He makes me laugh, he frustrates me, he supports me, and (for better and worse) he gets me.

If I could bottle and sell my husband, I'd be rich. He cooks, he grocery shops, he irons, he loves to putter around the house and yard and fix things, he's neat and organized--essentially, he's the anti-Lynne. But, our personalities mesh--we're both sarcastic smart-alecs, we both love to brabble, we can both get irritated with the other one minute and find the humor in it the next. And, best of all, our love continues to grow, slow and steady, every day.

When I was young, I couldn't appreciate that slow, gradual burn. I mistook fireworks and intensity for love. That's probably why all my past relationships crashed and burned. With Matt, each day I'm surprised and excited about something new. Small things. That he sets my vitamins out so I don't forget to take them. That he--not a coffee drinker--notices when the creamer is low and puts a new one in the fridge for me. That he is confident enough in himself and in us to not try to change for me or to change me, but instead, we understand and accomodate our differences. We don't need each other to be whole, but together we're a bigger and better whole.

For Matt alone, I have a lifetime full of reasons to be thankful. And I am.

Christmas shopping?

Once again this year, I'm promoting donating to charities and those in need. Whether their need is for cash, donation of goods, or time, there are so many good causes to support in so many ways that it's a shame to spend all our time, effort, and money on things we and our families and friends don't need or want all in the name of holiday giving.

I encourage you all to choose causes near and dear to your gift recipients' hearts and donate in their name, whether the cause is cancer research, animal rescue, education, conservation donation, giving to a worthy cause, where there truly is a need, demonstrates the true spirit of the holidays. This year, Matt and I will make contributions to mitochondrial disorder research, the Special Olympics, a number of local humane societies (in NY, SC, and the VI), World Wildlife Fund, and literacy programs. All causes with special meaning and relevance to us, our families, and friends.

(Warning - shameless plug ahead - feel free to stop reading at this point!)

And for those of you who feel the need to give a little something just for the joy of seeing gifts under the tree, and the excitement of unwrapping, now's a good time to order Marina Melee as a gift for the boaters, adventurers, and rummies on your holiday gift list! Order it in any of the electronic formats available at Smashwords and save 25%. Just enter the coupon code EX53M when purchasing.

2 scenes a day!

I'm not doing NANOWRIMO this year. I've tried it 3 times before and it's always been a great way for me to start a new story. But, I can't write like that - to a word count. Turns out, when I do that, I write crap. And end up deleting most of it. There might be a sentence or two that are worth keeping, turning over in my mind, and figuring out what to do with them. Those are what eventually become stories like Marina Melee and Chupacabra.

I need structure. I need to know where I'm going. I need a plan. Yes, I'm a plotter, not a pantster. Without my outline, I meaner and wander. I ramble. Just ask Matt.

Stephen King's strategy--write 2000 words per day--worked well for Marina Melee (but I'm not Stephen King, I just went for 1000 words per day) because I did have a very detailed, specific outline and knew exactly where the story was going. Naturally, I thought the same process would work for Chupacabra. The outline was there, I knew how it would end. I just didn't know how to get there. So, I came up with a different strategy--I'd only have to write 2 scenes per day. Semantics, you say. Probably. But in my mind, I have to know the point of each scene, know where it starts and where it ends, know how it moves the story forward before I can write it.

Turns out, 2 scenes is about 1000 words, more or less. Mentally, it works for me. Maybe it'll work for you, too.