Time Management

Tuesdays are always my day for posting the A2Z article from Patty Wysong’s Blog Meme. Usually I take care of it over the weekend, but Friday I wrote like a mad lady. Saturday we cleaned and moved furniture – fun, but bumped my blogging again. And then Sunday, as I wrote yet another section of my WIP I thought, “I’ve got tomorrow. No worries.”

Um. It’s now 12:56 AM on Tuesday morning. The sky is a lovely shade of black and even the dogs are silent.

Yeah. What is it that Paul said? “Not that I’ve achieved it or have already been made perfect …” I’m so there when it comes to time management. For all of my planning and organizing, I fail at time management.

No really. I plan out my writing, my social media, my exercise, my house chores, even my meals, but do I follow my plan? Well …

Let’s just say follow through isn’t my strong suit and leave it at that. No, wait, that’s not entirely true. I’m great at following through on the things I love to do. Writing, Social media, transporting kids to and fro and organizing activities for them.

It’s the routine stuff I struggle with. Exercise. I swear I can’t even spell that word.

E-x-c-backspace-e-r-c-i-s-e.

(I think it’s a Freudian reaction!) Bible study. Going to bed at a decent hour and … ugh … getting up!

And when I don’t get up, get moving, and spend time with my Lord, the day plops on top of me like a heavy quilt in the middle of August. Hence my pre-dawn blogging.

Yes, aside from my Bible Study (I’m loving working with GMG!) today was one of those days – wait that was yesterday. I’m hoping for better when I get to tomorrow – er – today.

G is for …

… Grrrrrr

I’ve had a brand new experience recently. My son joined the University of Texas at Dallas Rugby team last fall and we got to recently experience our first game. I get. No I really do. But I have to admit it is quiet a spectacle for a new fan.

First, there’s the scrum. That’s where the 8 forwards from each team connect up and push against each other. One of the players rolls the ball into the center of the circle. Using their feet and sheer strength to push against the other team, the ball must be forced out behind one of the teams so that their player can pick it up and run it forward. It’s sort of like a tug-of-war in reverse … without a rope. Dear Boy was a prop in the scrum, supporting one of the key players and providing an anchor to stop the opposition’s push.

Then, there’s a ruck. In rugby, play doesn’t stop at a tackle. That’s sort of an opportunity for a mini-scrum. The ball has to be placed on the ground and opposing players immediately set up to push past the ball so that someone from their team, not involved in the ruck, can pick up the ball and move it forward again.

The ball can be moved forward by kicking at any time, by running, and also by throwing. But all the throws have to be made backward, tosses really, to players who are coming behind them. Kicking is also a little tricky in that only players who are behind the kicker when he sent the ball aloft are allowed to catch it when it falls.

The last bit of the spectacle is like a ballet. It’s called a line-out and follows the ball going out of bounds. The two teams line up a few meters apart (Yes, this is a British game so it’s measured in meters.) and the ball is thrown in directly between the two lines. The players lift each other in order to gain possession of the ball at it’s height. All done very smoothly. Adding a little Tchaikovsky could make a fun video!

 

 

Dear Boy’s team is undefeated and skunked SMU in the game from the pictures (4-something to 0!) They start playing the regional semi-finals this weekend and if all things work out right, will be in Nebraska for nationals. Go Comets!

News. Previews. Reviews. And God is GOOD!

What an awesome week! I feel like a new woman. Seriously! After coughing my head off for a solid week, I get by with only about one to two coughs per hour and I’m finally able to sleep all night without interruption. Yippee! (Little things tickle the tar out of me!)

But there is more to cheer about.
God is so good! His faithfulness never quits! I’m in awe. Several connections, family members and family of friends have had intensive situations, surgeries or illnesses. In every case, God not only gave His blessings but showered exceeding abundant on the families. I love it when I can see His intentions and watch Him work in the lives of people I love.

What a great week!

This weekender has:

• Awesome articles of faith and writing all hand-picked.
• A review of my blogs from the week.
• A preview of next week’s articles.
• My ROW80 update.

NEWS

I love being able to put together this newspaper. I collect and search through hundreds of posts to find the ones I like the best for my headlines. Check them out!

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REVIEWS

Inspired by other blogs and my F post I started my week with a post explaining what Faith-Driven Fiction means to me. I followed it up on Tuesday with a post about my family – they’re what I’m mostly about. On Wednesday, I continued my Monday post with an article on Purpose along with my ROW80 mid-week review. Thursday I skewed from my normal writing tip and posted about Holiness. The song by Sonic Flood has been churning through my head for days! Then I rounded out the week with an interview with a debut novelist from Saint Lucia who writes Christian Thrillers.

ROW80 UPDATE

I’m so excited! I got a brand new idea last night and have been tapping away at the keyboard all day. Do writers really have to sleep? This new story pumps me up and drives me to my keyboard at every opportunity. Needless to say, I’m blasting my ROW80 writing goals off the charts.

Surprisingly, I’m also keeping my balance well. In fact, I’m able to spend more and more time with my sweet hubby and kids. (Can’t wait to go watch my boy in a Rugby match this weekend. Pictures to come!) The only thing I’m still working on is visiting other blogs. I’m visiting weekly, but not often seeking out new blogs to read. Oh, and now that my cough is subsiding, I need to get back to my exercise.

I’m adding a new goal. I have several books that I wanted to read before their debut. I WILL find a way to get those read. (Four in all) I want to have at least one of those read before March 1st.

PREVIEWS

Monday’s post will hold the latest winners for Almost Kiss at Clash of the Titles. What a fiery excerpt! On Tuesday, is my post for Patty Wysong’s A2Z blog hop. This week the letter is G, and my post is … well … unique to say the least. My ROW80 update will detail where I am on my writing goals on Wednesday. Synopsis writing earns the highlight on Thursday. I’m told that is the hardest writing I’ll do. On Friday, I’ll be hosting author and founder of Submission Ministries, Zeke Lam. This guy is amazing! By all means come back next week!

So what did you do this week and what are you looking forward to?

F is for …

Faith-Driven Fiction.

What’s that all about?

Fiction with my type of Texas Sassy tends to have a romantic flavor. It also delves into mystery and suspense. But that’s not all.
My characters go beyond quirky. They’re laugh-out-loud, folks that anyone can relate to. Far from perfect, their flaws add both humor and poignancy to my stories.

Part of the poignancy that they draw comes from their journey of faith. My goals for my writing are sort of hard to communicate. I know there are women all over the country who, like me, love a good romance with elements of suspense or mystery intertwined, but they don’t like the extra “junk” that often gets passed as romance.

My writing goes beyond clean and I don’t mean the squeakiness of it. I’m so encouraged when I read through a crisis of faith. A time when a broken person reaches out to God. I’ve certainly been there, more than once. I love writing those sections into my stories, allowing my characters to enjoy a personal relationship and reliance on their Savior in various stages. It is my hope that my stories will encourage women like me who don’t often read non-fiction, but need the Spirit to show His truth.

So that’s Faith-Driven Fiction, and the play on my name – Laine, Lane – makes it more connected to me. I won’t always highlight fiction on my blog, but my faith is part of my everyday life, so it’s there, and should you ever have a question about it or about me, I hope you’ll feel comfortable to ask. I’m not the pushy type.

What does faith mean to you?

Who Am I?

The A2Z blog that Patty Wysong started last year is about to gear upagain and we’ve been challenged to begin things with a Video blog – a V-log orvlog.

Mine was recorded as we celebrated our fourth Christmas for the year atmy in-laws home in Mounds, Oklahoma. I’m so blessed to get to

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News and Previews

Wow! Two weeks away from writing and I hardly know what to do with myself! I'm looking forward to digging into my revisions again, and I have another story that's beginning to tickle the back edges of my mind. I'm looking forward to telling it.

First, I have some blogging to do! My A2Z leader, Patty Wysong, has challenged the new group to

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