A Question of Intense Interest

I was not sure if I was going to write or not today, considering my mind is still in query mush mode, but then I came across some tweets from yesterday that got my mind going and I felt the need to post.

I was going to apologize for sharing this personal information with you, but in all retrospect, I don't feel sorry about it. I can't help who I am, and I rather like who I've become as a result of it. Please note however that I am not looking for sympathy, I am just looking for an answer.

That being said...

Through a series of agent posts I noticed a couple (unnamed) agents saying they wish they would see more books about children/teens with mental illnesses and psychological disorders.

This struck me as odd.

As a person with a very serious (and unfortunately misdiagnosed through most of my life) mental illness myself, I don't understand the intrigue. Growing up with bipolar disorder was difficult and depressing, especially as it went untreated until I was 17, then mistreated until I was 26. I've lived a life of making poor and irrational decisions while on highs and lows. Decisions that have left me with a world of messes to clean up as an adult.

To make matters worse, this disease is genetic, leaving me feeling incredibly guilty about my 7 year old son who was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder as well. Watching him is heart breaking and a nightmare. It reminds me of things I felt when I was young and as a parent makes me feel terribly helpless.

So my question is, why would people want to read about any of this? What would be entertaining about reading the experiences of a child struggling with depression?

Do you understand the intrigue? Would it interest you to read a book of this nature?

Editing vs. Parenting

I've come to the conclusion that editing a manuscript is indeed very similar too parenting a child.

What? You don't see the correlation? I can prove it! Seriously!

Both keep you up ALL night!

• Manuscript -If you aren't attached to the computer screen taking out all your passive sentences then you are up thinking about how to show your readers that Jane was angry instead of telling them. I mean seriously, it's not enough to just say Jane was pissed off. Instead we need to show the fire in her eyes and the throbbing vein pulsating above her left eye!
  

• Children -It can all be said in a matter of few common complaints. "But I'm not tired!" and "I'm thirsty." or "It's too cold." and "It's too hot." and don't forget "I had a bad dream can I sleep in your bed and toss and turn and kick you in the face all night?"

Both refuse to listen...

• Manuscript - MS complains, "But I don't want remove any more words from my pages!" I reprimand, "Seriously MS, how many instances of the word 'that' do you really need?" MS will argue, "But look how pretty all of them look on page 12." In which I will argue back, "You will remove at least 11 'thats' or I will remove them for you!"

• Children - Child complains, "But I don't want to clean my room!" I reprimand, "Seriously child, I can't even walk in the room without stepping on 12 legos and breaking my foot." The child then argues, "But those are my special legos, I can't put them away or I'll lose them." In which I reply with, "You will put those legos away or I will throw them away."

Are you seeing the similarities yet?

Both require books upon books to learn how to do the job.

Both require massive losses of sanity.

Both require gobs of time.

Both get in the way of my time on Twitter!

And BOTH give me a headache!

Luckily I am so incredibly devoted to both jobs that I would never give up on either. Lucky book and kids! What would they do without me?

(Though without both I'd probably have a lot less #windinmyhaaaaiiiir!)

So who is being punished again?

Discipline and Punishment ...

Funny little things.

Both meant to teach our children (and/or adults) order and keep them on the right path.

So here is where I am having an issue.

Poppins, "You are being naughty, you need to please go sit on your bed right now."

Child, "I don't want to go sit on my bed."

Poppins, "I'm sorry you feel that way, but I wasn't asking, I was telling." (The only time in my life where telling is ok...sorry....writer joke)

Child, "But I want to watch TV."

Poppins, "And I want a million dollars, you don't see me getting my way. Now go sit on your bed."

Child, "But that's boring."

Poppins, "Exactly"

Child, "But....."

And so on and so forth until eventually ... you know what comes next ...

Tears

Screaming

Fits

Meltdowns

You know ... the kind that comes shrill cries and screams of "I don't want to!!!" and "You always make me sit on my bed!!" and all sorts of other things that are not true but still make the hairs on your back stick straight up.

In the mean time you are thinking...

Chocolate

Sunny Beaches

Happy Places

Patrick Dempsey... I mean Peaceful Serenity

And all this happens in about 1.3 minutes but feels like 12.9 hours.

This is how punishment and discipline happens in my house. Fortunately we were graced with a particularly difficult child and no matter what the punishment, the battle of wills rages on before it is ever carried out.

I love it...I love setting up consequences that punish me more than my children.

I'm not really complaining a whole lot but mostly just laughing at how torturous lovely parenthood is. Its just been one of those weeks over here in the Poppins household. Me of all my forceful and cruel tactics of making my child sit on his bed or pick up his room. I'm practically the meanest parent alive!

Do you ever find yourself the one being punished in the midst of discipline?

What if He was a She? or She was a He?

While lying in bed last night ... (ok I totally just wrote 'I was lying in bed last night' and then deleted it because it was too passive....am I a writer or what!!) ... so while lying in bed last night I was thinking about all my writer friends (it's not what you think, I promise!) and all the blogs I read and thought it was funny how there are two Natalie's.

Then I proceeded to think about how I love the name Natalie, so much in fact that if my son would have been a she instead of a he I would have named him Natalie.

Then I thought about my other two kids and remembered what their names would have been had they been born the opposite sex.

So here is a run down of my kids names had they been born ... well not as the ultrasounds had promised!

Logan would have been Natalie

Preston would have been Annabelle

Mikayla would have been Ethan

Sometime I get sad that I didn't get to use the other names, but at the same time I don't feel like I could have used them on any other children. Am I a strange carrot or what!?!!?

So you tell me, did your children have alternative names? Did YOU have an alternative name?

Oh and Happy Birthday to my little Preston (almost Annabelle) who turns 7 today!!!!

AhhhhTo Be 4!

I was observing my youngest son this morning and I suddenly became jealous watching how lovely his life is and I came up with a list of reasons that I wish I was him....

Things I could do if I was 4 Again

1. Nap in the middle of the day...seriously, 4 year olds do NOT understand how lovely this privilege is!

2. Find enjoyment in board books with like 10 pages...oh....wait....I still do....

3. Have someone buy ALL my clothes and food for me! (Granted SOME of the clothes are hammy downs....)

4. Spin around in circles for about 15 to 30 minutes straight and be completely entertained the entire time.

5. Use a rocking chair as the ultimate playground. Who needs a park when you have a big wooden chair that rocks back and forth like a teeter totter!

6.When happy with something I could totally just start screaming and crying and it wouldn't be even a bit out of the ordinary.

7. Have my own chauffeur for every place I needed to go.

8. An abundance of fruit snacks.....YUM

9. No need to work...the most work expected of me would be to learn how to spell my name

10. My world would be a musical. I could sing EVERYTHING!!! It would be like living on Broadway!!!!

For my writer Friends ... Help me ... I'm lost!!!
www.marybethsmith.com

Home Schooling and Me

In my last comment of the day yesterday Jessica Nelson over at Booking It asked me if I home schooled.

My Answer... Oh goodness I'd never do that to my children!!!

Now I could be wrong (I'm NEVER wrong...) but I have a feeling my readers MIGHT be entertained to know why I am not fit to be a home schooling mom. Don't get me wrong, I think I am pretty decent mom 92% of the time, but I am in no way fit to school my own children.

Why? Funny you should ask! I've decided to give you ...

The Top 10 Reasons Why Poppins is Not Fit to Teach

1. To my great disappointment, apparently BeJeweled Blitz is not a government approved subject. (Although it COULD be an elective?!?!)

2. I'm not sure that an education based on literature, English, grammar and spelling alone would get them very far in life. Granted I can add and multiply, once you get past the basic stuff....eh...it gets kinda shaky!

3. I don't do Science. I don't find anything cool about bugs, dead frogs, homemade bombs, electrons, chemistry, planets, earth, etc. in even the smallest amount.

4. I had to ask my husband what war Gone With The Wind took place during and, "That was before World War II right?" Thus my expertise in history...slightly lacking

5. I need a break from my children. I can't take 365 days a year of "Stop touching me!", "I didn't do it!" and "You're gonna break my Lego House!" I. Just. Can't. Do. It!!!

6. Did you know that kids are noisy? Or is that just my kids? I'm really more of a "quiet" person.

7. I could be wrong...but I think it takes effort to school the children. That doesn't really fit in to my plans to spend the fall and winter being super lazy.

8. I wouldn't want to put teachers out of a job. After all, they go to school for all that stuff. Pay massive student loans. And see I am so awesome that if I home schooled my kids...everyone would want to home school their kids and then tons of my friends would be unemployed! (Though that would free up a little more time for them to return back to Blogger...I'm not that cruel!)

9. Is Harry Potter a subject? Cuz I'd be SUPER good at teaching it! What about the History of Gnomes?

10. So um...my kids don't listen to me....like ever. I tell my child NOT to touch that and after about the 5th time....well yeah, he's still touching it. How can I teach a child who ignores me?!?!

So those are just a few reasons why I would not be fit to teach my children. The list does go on and on, but I don't want to bore you :)

NOW please don't think I am anti-home schooling. I have a sister, neighbor and sister in law who have done it quite effectively. BUT I am not the right kind of mom to do it. It takes a very special woman to do it...and although I'm special in MANY ways (mostly in the ways of awesomeness!) that is just not one of them.

So to simple answer your question Jessica, No, I do not home school my kids!

How I KNOW it's Monday

It starts out quietly, I'm sleeping, having a dream about being in a singing competition with Brittany Spears and low and behold, she gets disqualified....for lip singing. (Didn't see that one coming!) And then it happens ... the alarm goes off! Push snooze once, irritated because it was so nice to have just turned it off all weekend.

Fall asleep again, this time not long enough to remember a dream before the alarm goes off again! UGH

Small bicker between me and the husband about how he should get out of bed.

And now I'm awake.

Husband hands me the lap top and I check all my blogs and my emails and TRY to stay relaxed. I figure if I ease into the day things will go better. But alas, impossibe!

Shirts are missing, must go for a treasure hunt through the laundry. Kids are up and wanting to eat, but as I enter the kitchen I see that dinner is still on the table! UGH That's what I get for staying upstairs and reading all night directly after dinner. Someone didn't do their chores...

And then it happens. 8:30am. I don't know what it is about this time of the day but it never fails. Every Monday morning at 8:30am they start.

"Give me my car back!"

"Stop touching me!"

"Don't do that, you're going to break it!"

and in perfect three part harmony, "MOM!"

After I hear that three letter word - and the creeping sensation runs through me as though I'd just heard nails scratched against a chalkboard while seeing a nest of spiders sitting on my bed- I KNOW it's Monday!

On being Cliche'.....

Lately I have often heard the word Cliche' being thrown around. Unfortunately one particular toss of the word was used towards my MS. Not a happy word to me. I decided I wasn't really SURE what exactly the word meant. So I did what any unknowing, uninformed person would do...I Googled it!

Per Wikipedia -

A cliché (US: /klɪˈʃeɪ/ UK: /ˈkliːʃeɪ/, from French), is a saying, expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, rendering it a stereotype, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. The term is frequently used in modern culture for an action or idea which is expected or predictable, based on a prior event. It is likely to be used pejoratively. A cliché may sometimes be used in a work of fiction for comedic effect.

Ok...so um...not too happy about it being used towards my book, considering I THOUGHT it was quite the original idea...sigh

But let's make sure I am understanding this word correctly. Here are a few examples I have put together that are "cliche'" with a possible remedy for each.

Cliche' - Driving in the car with children ... them saying "Are we there yet?"

Remedy - I was quite impressed when my children decided to break the mold and instead say "This is taking too long!"

Cliche' - The question given by husbands and children around the globe, "What's for dinner tonight?"

Remedy - This could be easily remedied by just asking, "What can we make you for dinner tonight mom?" See how original that would become!!!

Cliche' - Folding Laundry

Remedy - Ok...so um...there is no remedy just yet for that...BUT there is no denying it's a Cliche' idea!

Cliche' - Having to FORCE my children to clean their rooms

Remedy - Having children that do not make a mess of their rooms and when they do they pick up the toys immediately after.

Cliche' - TV Shows about Doctors and Hospitals

Remedy - TV Show about Dentists! (Capitalize on THAT NBC!!!)

And the number one Cliche' statement used more often than it should...drum roll please...

Cliche' - This is a very subjective business and I am afraid your novel is just not right for us at this time.

Remedy - Please send me your full manuscript along with your prospect advances and we will get your book/movie deal going immediately!

What???? I've got a point, you can't deny it!

But do you see what I see? Sometimes there is no way around what is Cliche'. Sometimes what is Cliche' just happens to be what works. So is it really Horrible that something about my book may or may not be Cliche'?

Conference Envy

It's not a compensation thing...I promise!

I am super jealous of everyone going to RWA this week. And insanely envious of those going to Blogher 09 the week after that. And although I don't really write Christian Fiction, I still really want to go to ACFW in September. I'm usually not one to break out the Big Green Monster BUT I am totally wanting to go to a conference of some sort even if it is just the AAH (ok so I probably wouldn't get much out of an Art History conference...but STILL!) . There are a few reasons behind this recent urge.

1. I want to learn! I want to soak in all the knowledge to become a better writer and blogger

2. I want to meet more people in the industry(s) I love networking with others who get what I do. It's relieving to know I'm not the only one lacking sanity who loves to write!

3. I want to get away from my children. I am in need of a small break and would like to get out and see more of the world.

4. I love hotels and conferences and anything that has to do with big social events where I can get to know new people and socialize.

5. I want to get in front of the Important People! I want to be able to send a query and say "We spoke at so and so conference."

6. Did I mention that I want to get away from my children learn more about writing and craft?

7. OMG they have Karaoke at Blogher 09!!! (Sorry...that is just a large selling point for this former Karaoke DJ!)

8. Seriously! I really DO want to learn more!

9. Chicago, New York, Washington DC!!! Seriously!

10. And I really want to learn more about writing and blogging of course...

So to all of you going to conferences this year, You suck! Istick out my tongue to you!

Next year....next year friends!

A Dish to Pass

Day two of the Harry Potter Marathon begins in one hour! I can't believe the 6th movie is less than 48 hours away!

*Poppins squeals in delight*

So we are going over to a friends for a play date and to watch the 3rd and 4th movies since we watched the first 2 over here on Friday. The kids are excited to go play in a basement full of toys that they do not own. (Not to be confused with us locking the kids in a dark dreary basement as we watch Harry Potter...just saying...)

As a play date tradition the hostess makes lunch and the visitors bring a "Dish to Pass". Love this tradition, especially when lunch isn't at my house. Nothing better than getting out of one of your daily chores!

Driving back from dropping my hubs off to work I decided that there is nothing in our house that is "Dish to Pass" worthy. I know a trip to Meijer is in order and I decide to ask the boys (daughter is at the In Laws for the week) for ideas.

Older son says, "I don't know mom, the only side dish I like is Apple Sauce."

Fair enough. Kind of an odd thing to bring. I pushed them for more ideas.

I said, "How bout some fruits or veggies."

No Response.

"No more ideas then?" I asked.

"We should bring butter!" Younger son exclaims.

Does this mean my kids are Future Snobs?

Last week I got the BEST news a parent can get. Well maybe not the best, BUT it felt like the best at that moment.

It was an ordinary day like any other. I was cleaning the house for my play date with my Fantastically Awesome friend Mindy and her boys. I was taking out some trash and spotted that the mail had already arrived strangely early. Sweet! So I grabbed it and walked back into the house to continue my cleaning.

I flipped through the envelopes and spotted two very professional looking envelopes. One had my daughters name on it, the other had my sons and both with the little seal on the top corner. My children had finally received their Hogwarts Letters!!!! Oh wait...they are still too young for that. These letters were from National Heritage Charter Academy.

I did not get too excited at first. We had applied for them to attend three of their academies thus far and two had already responded with my children being on the waiting lists. I could not deny however that these envelopes DID look different than the others. So I ripped them open! Here is what they held!



That's correct kids. These Gold Embossed letters with shiny gold lettering were acceptance letters showing my children would be now attending one of the wonderful Charter Academies! No longer will they be a part of the Public School District that has been less than mediocre and no longer will they be stuck riding a bus full of older children.

Life is Happy!

(I've ripped apart the first chapter of my novel. Read about it on my WEBSITE)

It was kinda like playing dress up...but not!

Yesterday I had the privilege (possibly not QUITE the word I was looking for...) to play the part of "Day Care Provider" for the day. After spending 4 hours with 5 children who were not mine, I came to a couple heart felt conclusions.

1. Three children is more than enough. Five is too many. My mother must have lost her mind when she decided she would like to have six kids, that or she really wasn't paying too much attention when practicing 'The Rhythm Method'!

2. I do not feel that the career of Day Care Providing was intended for me. Some women/men are destined for the job. Me? Not so much.

Now number 2 comes with a whole set of incredibly VALID reasons!

1. Day Care Providers need patience only God himself could possibly possess, and he did not find it necessary to share that patience with me for some reason.

3. I am more anal about cleaning than I ever would have guessed. That is correct. I spent about an hour watching children pick up a toy, and after looking at it for about two seconds, decide the toy looked funny, smelled funny, or was not big enough to create the mass destruction intended, they would then throw it onto an obscure place in the middle of the floor. After that hour I about caved and decided it was the perfect moment for Clean Up Time! I just can't do the whole toys in the middle of the Living Area thing. It's too distracting for my obsessive mind to comprehend!

4. It's really hard to NOT yell at children when they are being insanely irritating, and you really aren't suppose to when these children are not your own. At home this is not an issue. I can yell and scream ALL day long. I am not going to offend anyone's parents by spouting parental threats at my kids like, "If you don't stop crying, I'll give you something to cry about!" or "Stay out of the middle of the road, or you'll become road kill!" (learned that one from my sister! Classic!) or "Don't make me come over there, or you'll regret it!". These threats (though never...ok...rarely... carried out) are necessary for parenting. Unfortunately you just can't use them on other people's children.

5. I don't like poop. It smells ... really bad ... and for some reason, twice as bad when it's not your own child's poop.

6. I don't like wiping noses, and again, for some reason it's just grosser than wiping your own kids snot.

7. I am incapable of spending more than 3 minutes on any of the following games: Duck Duck Goose, I Spy, Hide the Toy, etc. before inevitably trying to move on the the next game in hopes that it will be quieter/calmer. Each time I attempted this, I failed miserably!

8. Now noticing that I completely SKIPPED number two and realizing that I obviously can not count, I do not believe I am capable of educating young children. ("Ok kids, let's count to 10. 1,3,4,5....") And correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that suppose to be part of the job?

9. Did you know that when you are paying attention to a room full of kids, there is no time for the internet? What crap is that!!!

10. It was only by luck, large amounts of luck, that none of the children ended up looking like this by the end of the afternoon!!


So, Day Care Providing career...down the drain! I'm thinking about attempting to be trapeze artist next ...

Here's to you day care providers ... *Raises up very LARGE glass of wine*
You guys are miracle workers!!!

By the way? Did you see the cool contest I award I won on the side there? Thanks Baby Makin(g) Machine and Thank You Roger the Ant!!!

(Stop by my Website to read about Editing Road Blocks)

Never too Young for Sarcasm!

One of my favorite things about me ... Yes that's right, I often sit back and think "Hmmmm what is my favorite thing about me..." But then I stop, because we all know there are too many awesome qualities to count!!! Ok back on track... One of my favorite things about me is my sarcasm. Sarcasm is a wonderful tool to possess in life. (When used during appropriate times that is. *Note to me* Blog about inappropriate uses of sarcasm soon.....)

But even better than being a sarcastic little spitfire, I have created THREE sarcastic little monsters as well! (YAY ME!)

Example:

Irritated 6 year old sits back and watches as brother and sister decide to play with their toys instead of help him with the "Cleaning" portion of the afternoon.

Smart child bellows out, "It's ok guys. You just sit there and keep playing. I'll go ahead and clean this all up on my own. I'm sure it will be LOTS of fun!"

Sniff Sniff....I'm so proud of him!!!

Why say "NO" when you can SING it to me!

So, while in a hurry, I'm getting the kids ready to head out for school this morning. Like usual, they are taking there sweet @$$ time. For some absurd reason, children find it impossible to get ready at a normal human pace. They seem to find it extremely entertaining to instead move in slow motion. So I say to my youngest son, "Please put on your socks!"

Instead of saying "Ok mom, I'd love to!", he SINGS to me "No, I don't waaaannnnt tooooo!" (On perfect pitch I might add. Kinda surprised the other two didn't join in for perfect 3 part harmony!) I mean seriously. Why just say the word "No" when you can sing it! Right?!?!?

Well I can't just answer back in boring monotone mom voice, what kind of mother would I be to not indulge this newly forming Musical? (I'm picturing Larry the Cucumber singing "But it's a MUUUUSSSICCCALLL" I love Veggie Tales) So I SING back, "I wasn't asskkkiiiiinnnngggg, I was telllllinnnnggg....so DO IT!" (Also in perfect pitch, but somewhat disappointed my hubby didn't back me up for the perfect mother/father duet.)

He then looks at me, grabs his socks, walks over to the couch, LAYS DOWN ON IT, and holds the socks up in the air, waiving them back and forth like a little white surrender flag, singing back. "YOOOOOOUUUUU do it!" At this point, I'm singing MANY things in my head, but I cautiously push these unmommylike words aside, end the musical with my eyebrow up in the air, and put on his freaking socks! 4 year old - 1 point, Mommy - NONE! Sigh.... (I hate it when we are in a hurry...I would have loved nothing more than to put those socks on his hands and walk away! Next time....oh just wait little 4 year old...the point will be MINE!!!)

I'm NOT Judgemental, I'm PERFECT!

....or possibly the EXACT opposite, and I am ashamed to have to admit it.

I unfortunately have watched the news, with all it's stories of death and horror. I've watched as they spin a story of a parent who left their child unattended in the car while they went inside to buy Lotto tickets. They careless parent had left the door unlocked and running as they stayed for countless minutes chatting it up with the cashier about the latest score of the last Piston's game. Not only moments later was the child kidnapped and taken off to a sweat shop and worked for pennies on the hour while being starved to death. All the while painting the parent as the most negligent, unloving human being on earth.I'd stand up and spout about how horrible that parent was. How could they neglect that poor innocent child! I'd judge and I'd slander that parent, sure that I would never do ANYTHING like that.

Actually the story probably went more like this...The parent had a sleeping child in the car, a child who hadn't slept in days and they couldn't bare to wake them up. The parent had pumped the gas and unfortunately only had cash on them. (Maybe they had lost the credit card, maybe their credit wasn't good enough for them to have a credit card, regardless, it happens) They knew they'd only be in there for two seconds, so they took a chance. It was a sweltering hot day, so instead of suffocating the child, they rolled down the window a bit. They grabbed the keys, locked the doors, ran inside and realized they didn't have exact change. They kept glancing up at the car every few seconds while searching through their pockets, but SOMEHOW, the kidnapper got their arm through that open window, unlocked the door, and hot wired the car, driving off with the innocent child. Leaving the parent in RUINS! Their child was missing and their heart was in pieces.

But did the media care what the real story was? Did they bother to get the fact straight that the child was actually 9, an ideal age to begin leaving a child alone in the car, and not 5 as they had spun the story? The child LOOKED 5 in the pictures. Did they bother to talk to anyone who knew how the kidnapper got away with the car? They drove the car away, so the parent MUST have left the keys in the ignition. All the little facts, spun into a web of untruths. And there I sat, feeling no respect or sympathy for the parent who MUST have neglected this child.

Well my friends, this is something I will never do again. I now realize how cruel and inaccurate the media can be. After the death of my friends child, I have come to be shocked and sickened by how the media can spin a story. I am disgusted by how other people, people who know nothing of the truth, can slander and judge and comment on how horrible and negligent my friend MUST have been to let this horrific accident happen to their child.

These poor parents, who have just lost their son forever, who were forced to pick out his very last set of clothing ever, who will never again hold their child in their arms, have not as much as been given a chance to mourn and or make funeral arrangements. They are not able to go home and collect their thoughts, as their home is swarmed with news vans and press. How heartless people can be.

How often have I left my child playing in their bedroom, gone to the bathroom, and came back only to find them sifting through the refrigerator. My own parents had put me down for nap, gone to the kitchen to start the dishes, and received a knock on the door only moments later from the neighbor who had found me playing in the middle of the street. We are human. We are parents. We are FAR from perfect. This could have happened to anyone, even twice! We have to keep in mind there are more circumstances behind the scenes than what the news has to offer. Even the small details, such as "only having cash" can happen to all of us, but still end up to be such a HUGE factor in something so dreadful.

So my request of you guys today is this. Don't believe everything you hear on the news! Don't judge a situation without knowing the characters involved. My heart is aching for my friend and her family. If anything, please find yourself just a tad less judgmental today. I know I have!

A Possible Break from Writing...is it Necessary?

I have been considering the fact it may possibly be time to take a break from my novel. I am suddenly dreaming about agent queries and red pens. My back is in desperate need of a chiropractor. Possibly writing a book while sitting on a small wicker stool is a bad idea??? Most recently, I have found it impossible to spend more time actually editing than merely staring at this white piece of paper, adorned in black ink with numerous red and blue pen corrections. (That's correct my friends, I FINALLY broke out the red pen! Gasp!) It has taken on the appearance of pretty art project rather than actual words.

**ALTHOUGH, props to me for keeping my kids alive and well along with a clean house WHILE spending countless hours staring at my manuscript, blogs about publishing, and thesaurus.com!!!**

I have been so dedicated to this novel, I have barely spent an entire day away from it in the last six months. My manuscript has become my new infant. I find myself back to the days where I was afraid to leave the tiny little child, the one that barely filled an entire arm with it's petite body, alone with the babysitter. Instead of taking the risk of another person feeding my fragile baby, I forgo leaving the house or having a life outside my precious new creation. I am not afraid to leave the manuscript with a baby sitter of course, actually I refuse to leave it in the hands of any other human being. (Call it "Paranoia" that someone is going to steel it and sell it on the black market for millions of dollars. Some of the same fears I had leaving my children with unfamiliar babysitters....) The real problem is the fear I may never finish it if I leave it alone for a day. If I walk away, I may find myself too burnt out to come back.

Fortunately I may not have much of a choice next week with my children being on Spring Break. Entertaining three children leaves little time for writing and editing. Bring on the coloring books and Legos, the Macaroni & Cheese lunches and the never ending "He's touching me!", "She looked at me first." and "But I don't want to clean my room!" There may be no other choice available than to put down the sentences that "Show" vs. "Tell". It will be time to set aside the Prepositional Phrases. And it will be heart braking to take a week away from the Vivid Red Pen. Hopefully it will be a positive thing.....

My question for all those writers out there....Do you keep going till there is nothing left to write or edit? Do you just keep plugging at it until you could recite the entire manuscript in your sleep? Or is there a point where you just put it down and take a break from it?