Purrsonal Stories: Awkward Like a Cat

And no, I'm not talking about my beautiful Cinderella kitty in the picture above.

Cats are generally beautiful, graceful creatures. They are the 'always land on their feet' type. I suppose they get it from their natural instincts as well as from their mothers.

My sister Kara and brooding Romeo

I must've been a bad cat mama, though. My poor orphaned Romeo is awkward. He gets it from me. He has a tendency to bump into things. He doesn't always land on his feet (even sprained his foot once from landing awkwardly). He has a long tail and tries to catch it (or its shadow) and will run into things.

I do the same things (although I don't have a tail). I am forever bumping my arms into something and legs. I haven't gone to a writers' conference yet where I didn't bang my knees onto the chairs. When I was in theater, I was forever doing awkward things like getting splinters in my legs from fainting (on purpose for the play) or falling 8-feet from a shelf (I did land on my feet). I can be standing perfectly still and almost fall over. Yet, I'm pretty good on a balance beam.

Yeah, I'm awkward like my cat. Or he might be awkward like me. At least Cinderella got all the grace that we lack.

Personal Thursdays: Wisdom from Cats: Catching your tail or a shadow of a tail

*I would’ve taken a video of my cats catching their tail—or shadow in Romeo’s case—but they didn’t cooperate.*

Watching cats’ behaviors can be quite entertaining and philosophical.

Romeo has a long tail, but instead of trying to catch it, he’ll spin in circles chasing a shadow. The tail is right in reach, but he is a dreamer, doing his best to grasp hold of an elusive dream in the guise of his tail’s shadow.

Cinderella (or Relli for short) has a short tail. She’s a small cat anyway, but she’ll spin around and before you know it, she’ll have the tip in her grasp and stand on it. Since her tail is short, when she stands up, it pulls out from under her paws, and the chase is on. When she really catches her tail, she enjoys giving it a quick bath while holding it in her paws. She is a pragmatist, a realistic. She grasps hold of what is there in front of her. Sometimes she lets go, but it’s there for her to grab again.

Cats are a lot like people. We chase after dreams. Sometimes we seize them. Sometimes they slip through our fingers. Sometimes we sprint after an idea that will remain just in the shadows, always beyond our reach.

Like Romeo, we can have fun chasing after that elusive dream, the shadow of a tail, but I think we need some of Relli in us too. We need to know when to catch it and stand on it to keep it there with us and when to let go and begin the chase again.

Writing is a lot like that too. We create the idea. Sometimes it remains just an idea. Other times we hold it and run with it. Sometimes even then we have to let it go and begin the chase anew.

So what are you? Are you a shadow chaser? Or a dream catcher?

As for myself, I believe I’m a bit of both.

Wednesday's Writing Update: Writing, Editing, and an eBook sale!

I was so busy with my cat being ill that I have little to add on the writing front this week. Romeo is doing well. He's eating his new food and has become active again. He's even getting better at taking his pills. He's such a sweetheart. I'll drop by the vet today to pick up more special food for him, and he goes back for a check-up on Friday, June 3^rd.

I wrote the second part of "The Luck I've Had" on Raven and the Writing Desk. You can read Lisa Rusczyk's part one here. 

I took the plunge and joined LinkedIn on Monday. Here is my profile. 

As for writing, I've done very little. I still hope to write a short story for Wicked EastPress's Greek Myths Revisited. The deadline is May 31^st, so I better get writing, if I want to make the deadline.

I finished editing the hard copy of the first five chapters of Virtuoso and added the changes to the word document, which is "new draft two." They are now with my critique partners. Once I get it back from them, I'll make the "new draft three" file. I hope to edit chapters six-ten soon and rewrite chapters eleven-fifteen within the next couple weeks. My goal is still to query agents in October.

I have several editing projects I'm working on. I'm glad I have a three-day weekend coming up!

By the way, Wild Child Publishing is having a Memorial Day sale on Monday, May 30^th. Use the code "we remember" and get 30% off any $10 eBook purchase. There are so many good books on there, so please check out the website, make your book list, and see about buying some books on Memorial Day.

Does anyone else have writing news? Or weekend plans?

Wednesday's Writing Update

It’s Wednesday again. I swear the weeks fly by too fast.

Bess Weatherby and Bill Blume still need to contact me about their prizes.

I don’t know where to start with this post exactly. My mind has been preoccupied with my cat Romeo. Yesterday, he wasn’t doing well, so I took him to the vet. The last time I went to the vet for a sick/injured visit I was eight or nine years old. We had to put my cat Midnight to sleep, so those thoughts were running through my head as I waited to be called back. It turns out Romeo has crystals in his bladder and urinary tract. They put a catheter in yesterday. They should take it out today, see if he’ll eat and pee for them. I should be able to bring him home tomorrow. He’ll have to be on a special diet from now on. He won’t like it, but tough. The poor boy does like to eat, though. *frowns* I’m glad he’ll be fine, but I’ve been worried about him. I hand-raised him from the time he was three to four weeks old, and he turned one in April. He’s my baby boy, so I’ve been sad that he’s not doing well.

As for writing news, “Mage Game” was rejected, but I’m still pleased it made the short list for Sword & Sorceress XXVI. I sent it back out to have it rejected again, but that’s okay. I’m debating whether to keep on submitting it or wait until I can write seven to eight more stories based on the land of Foxwick and create a short story collection from them. I already have “Lady Death” written, which takes place before “Mage Game.” I’m enjoying their world, although I have no plans for a larger piece for them. Short stories would be good, though. I’ll give it more thought.

I finished writing “Folding Hope” just in time on Sunday for the deadline. I have one more short story I’d like to finish before the end of the month.

Rewrites for Virtuoso are going at a glacial pace. I’m now taking it in five chapter chunks. I’m editing a hardcopy version of the first five chapters right now. Then I’ll go from there. I still hope to make my self-imposed deadline to query agents by October.

Of course, I still have two editing assignments to do for PWP, but I did finish the one for Hazard Editing. The author seemed very pleased with my work, which was great.

I really can’t think of any other writer news from me at the moment. What does everyone else have?