alr's incredibly urgent bucket list

[alr]

Ok, this is going to be a good way to keep accountable on this one. Every time I get hospitalized (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_sclerosing_cholangitis) I remember all the things I'm not finished with and get panicked.

1. Run a marathon

2011 step is to run a 10K. I need to work relentlessly on strengthening my lungs for this

as every time I get sick, pneumonia follows.

2012/2013 Half marathon. Preferably 2012, but if not, then 10 mi in 2012 and 13.1 in

2013

2. Finish writing trilogy. I have first novel 1/4 written and fully graphed, and 2nd 1/5

written and outlined mentally. I know where the 3rd starts but not where it will end.

3. Finish college and become financially stable.

4. See kids through college.

5. Spend more time in Europe.

6. If possible, move somewhere with national health care. Before anyone gets all political on this, please read the above link. Health care is going to be what determines whether I get to live long enough to finish the rest of my bucket list. It's not theoretical to me. It's life and death.

alr

[Cacophony]

Whatcha taking in college?

I've been published a couple of times and the key to writing and finishing anything is DEADLINES. Otherwise you'll just edit yourself to death. Do you have an edit buddy to run over your chapters after you've roughed them out for the feedback that you can put a timeline on? Make it something realistic: if you're busy with school/kids/life and it takes you two months to write one chapter set up a deadline for a new chapter in the email every 2.5 months. And stick to it. =)

[Oogiem]

6. If possible, move somewhere with national health care.

The sister of a good friend moved to Canada for just that reason.

It may be politically incorrect but it sure seems like to me that the only people who don't want single payer or national health care are either those who already have it or those who are too darned young to understand the terror that comes from chronic illness and the fear of not being able to do what you want to because you will have to choose.

[alr]

Whatcha taking in college?

I've been published a couple of times and the key to writing and finishing anything is DEADLINES. Otherwise you'll just edit yourself to death. Do you have an edit buddy to run over your chapters after you've roughed them out for the feedback that you can put a timeline on? Make it something realistic: if you're busy with school/kids/life and it takes you two months to write one chapter set up a deadline for a new chapter in the email every 2.5 months. And stick to it. =)

I don't have a writing buddy for what I'm working on right now because I don't know any other fiction writers. I think finishing the first hundred pages before I go back to school will be a good step, since it will also help me decide whether to keep on with writing or change to something more employable, but right now, between kids and work, I am getting way too little done.

I am an English major right now (albeit one taking a year off) but am thinking of changing to nutrition.

OogieM, I hear ya. I got lucky and was dxd with a chronic illness when I was still supposed to be under the delusion of indestructability (at 20) so health care has kind of been my sword od Damocles for my entire adult life. I do pretty well by taking good care of my body, but it still fails me from time to time. If I could figure out a way to move to Canada, I'd be there in a heartbeat.

alr

[Oogiem]

I don't have a writing buddy for what I'm working on right now because I don't know any other fiction writers.

Well I'll be a writing buddy, my sum total of fiction writing lately was finally after several years of trying finishing NaNoWriMo. And no, the novel I wrote sucks so no one can read it, not even my husband, who helped with plot twists at dinner and did lots of extra chores so I could write, but at least I did finish.

I'd like to actually work on some fiction stuff so do you want to figure out a way to harass/encourage each other to write regularly? :-)

I've got until March 24 to do all the rest of my winter fun stuff of scrapbooks, knitting, weaving, writing, photography etc. We pick up our sheep shearer on the 24th and from then on till fall I am swamped, shearing, sheep spring tune-ups, irrigation set-up, then getting sheep out on pasture and then lambing and finally the summer farm festivals and selling stuff to make enough money for the next year. So I've got a deadline for writing and other fun things. Nothing happens around here during lambing except lambing. We expect to be lambing from 27 April until 5 July, if the sheep read the same book and follow the rules ;-). We will have a week break in there between the 2 batches of lambs but I usually just try to get laundry done, take a long hot shower and eat, all things that tend to take a back seat to lambs.

Anyway, sorry to ramble on but if you want to try to work together to do some fiction writing and encouragement before then let me know.

[alr]

That would be awesome! I may not get a whole lot done before moving (hopefully by the end of march), but then again, I might surprise myself.

I need to start moving my stuff from paper onto my computer again and typing in the already written stuff might be a good way to ease back into it.

[Oogiem]

I don't know what you use to track and do your fiction writing, but if I may suggest, try Scrivener if you haven't already. I was using a standard word processor for my NaNo attempts in years previous. Now I am not saying the SW made the total difference, but I do know that I've done more fiction writing since I got it than in the 4-5years before. Scrivener allows you to create character sheets, set up plots, lot at outlines or a cork board and it is just really designed for writing stuff. Anyway give it a try, I'm on a Mac and use that version but there is also a version for Windows.