34 thoughts on “Cherry Saturday, August 10, 2019”

  1. I really don’t want to be lazy today. I started my editing job properly yesterday, having had a response to my major query. I’m anxious to get it finished in a couple of weeks, so I can go and cat-sit for my friend in Surrey and have a holiday. So I overdid the dots and commas (seven hours battling with Word and restyling the bibliography – and I only got to E), and then couldn’t sleep. The forecast’s not good, so I’d really like to work two long days this weekend, if only my brain will keep going.

  2. I am absolutely not going to prune the bushes! They’ve been taunting me, waving their overgrown limbs toward the sky and encroaching on each other’s territory, but today is not their day.

    I’m actually going to try to be creative today – but DH will be coming with a truck this afternoon, so I may have to assist in eliminating the residue of the deck repair project (i.e., pick up the rotten wood pile and take it to the dump.)

  4. Sadly nothing much. I’ve caught a cold, my first one in ages, and I’m going to be taking it easy and drinking lots of water. Could be worse, and I’m going to take care of myself instead of pushing it.

  6. I’m getting my nails done with my momma, then preparing space for the new bed. I’m behind at work, so really should get weekend stuff done. 🙁 but…. a book does call to me…

  7. Shamelessly ignoring Lazy Day to ask a writing question — I’m trying to do one of those dual timelines in a story, where Plot A is the protagonist’s current story, and Plot B is a story from their past. I’ve watch this structure go bad many, many times (*cough* Arrow *cough*), but I also know I’ve seen it work really well before (Big Fish, Second Hand Lions). The problem is, in my favorite examples, the past storyline either features a different protagonist than the present storyline, or the past storyline is the main story, and the present is just a framing device (The Notebook, for all its problems).

    Anyone have any thoughts about what makes this structure work, and what makes it not work? Or examples of ones that work for you, even if you can’t put your finger on why?

    1. My first thought was also one where old story is main focus, Bridges of Madison County. What I think makes it work is that it’s more compelling than the present day plot line and characters.

      So I would imagine the same would be true if you flip it to make the current day storyline your focus–it would need to be the most compelling with most emotional stakes. But that could just be me. I think often stories that start in a current period do so to create a framework for the “real” story in the past. Maybe Fried Green Tomatoes was like that, can’t remember its first scene, but think it felt that way. May be tougher to substantiate the need for going back in time and not have it feel like backstory fill-in, though. Good luck with your story, Cate. Sounds like an interesting challenge:)

    2. I think it works very well in Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover. Same male MC in both storylines, the present featuring his current budding relationship, and the past featuring his former relationship. Normally, I would write it off as backstory, not necessary except in specific instances where it informs the present. But the way the past storyline rises to a climax at the same time that the present storyline does on the way to merging–it stole my breath away. And both storylines reach their conclusion as one full story. Very well done, I thought. The story still haunts me years later.

      1. Check out Black Hawk by Joanna Bourne. The current plot and older episodes have the same protagonists and eventually the back history and current plot merge. I am not a fan of this structure but this one works. Probably helps that we have already seen the hero in other books at various stages of his life.

  8. Today I am not going to:

    Work at the day job.
    Pull weeds
    Fill flower beds with more dirt.
    Fill flower beds with mulch.
    Do laundry (to be fair, machines do most of the work in this one).
    Go to the dump.

    Tomorrow, however, I’m watching the last few episodes of iZombie (sniffle) and this weeks Killjoys (whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo-hoo, there I sang you the theme song).

  9. Right now I am in bed. I will have to leave it soon though because the Lawn Guys come for an hour on Saturday mornings and by god they are loud.

  10. Being lazy is just too much effort. I’m actually pretty good at it, but just when you think you can achieve slovenly nirvana, someone or something will come along and dump obligations on you. Today is not a good day to laze. There’s that whole “day job” thing, from four to midnight, just to start with. And the janitorial aspects of that. I’ll sweep and mop tonight, but I’m not laying down wax – too lazy. And there’s the whole “monitoring the building automation systems for the power plant and two prisons” and then “analyzing boiler and cooling tower chemistry” things.

    I don’t know if I can lazy tomorrow, either. Maybe I’m taking the dotter out to dine and shop – depends on the SIL.

  11. I do not think lazy will be happening for me today. My sister is coming to town and I promised her we could take my puppies to the river to play. Fun, yes. Lazy, not so much.

  13. I was going to be productive today after two unplanned off days, but now I think I’ll just go with the theme of the day.

  14. I was semi-lazy yesterday. Read most of the day, therefore, pulling weeds, adding soil, and planting the flowers I bought a month ago. Kept them in the wheelbarrow with water . They are full and bushy so will fill in the blank spots quite nicely.

  15. In honor of the day, I am not going to do anything with that box of paperwork in the home-office that has been taunting me with its size and precarious balance.

    Instead, it is “pamper me” day. I foresee deep-conditioning hair treatment in the shower, sparkly new toe-nail polish, and curling up on the couch with a good book.

    First, however, I must turn off the news.

  16. I’m working, as I do every Saturday, so not a lazy day for me. I’ll probably take the time to do my nails tonight. That forces me to be lazy for a bit.

  17. Well, I went to the gym early in the morning and the trainer put me through hell. I’m aching all over. This afternoon is now officially lazy afternoon.

  18. Too late. I already cleaned the bathroom (it was gross because we’ve had people in doing the floors in two rooms this week, and there was sawdust and dirt everywhere), vacuumed my bedroom, ran the dishwasher, did four loads of laundry, marinated the fish, figured out how to do a magic circle (the crochet kind, alas, nothing paranormal), and now I’m going to fix a couple of scenes in the WIP before making dinner. Wow, I’ve got quite a lot done! Thanks for making me write it down–I feel a lot more positive about my day now. Taking a rain check on Lazy Day this time. 🙂

  19. I took a nap in my chair with my feet up so I clearly won at lazy day. However, before that, I wrote quite a lot. But it didn’t feel like work, mostly dialogue and the protagonist is a woman about my age so it’s almost lazy. I don’t have to think much about POV. I just use mine!

  20. I marked and marked and marked books. I’m not done.

    I was supposed to do lots of yoga, but I was yoga-lazy and didn’t. Yesterday, I did 3 different Yoga With Adrienne vids, today none. It’s a long weekend here and I wanted to get my mind committed to activity. Instead I forced myself to check as many books as I could for missed bits.

    Watched and rewatched some interesting YouTube videos. I’m more educated now. 😉

  21. I’m gazing with pride at my new first act which is now only 34,000 words, down from its original 42,000.

    And then I’m going to roast vegetables because I like cooking so that’s not work. And ignore Act Two which is 45,000 words and had to be 25,000. But since there is no rest for the wicked, I will have a go at Act Three, which is only 41,000 words and should be 25,000. Except because I am lazy, I’m giving myself 30,000 for both acts. That seems fair.

  22. I’m not going to fret about the suspicion that I should have invited my brother, niece and small grand-niece down here for lunch instead of meeting them in town. Niece and grand-niece are here from Hong Kong, and my back garden is an overgrown jungle, which I think grand-niece would enjoy. Plus my house is full of interesting things AND a cat. But I didn’t think of it until this morning, and it’s too much effort to do massive tidying and cooking. So I’ll swan into town instead and let brother shout us all to a fine meal.

  24. Too late. My day is almost done and I’ve done a lot I didn’t think to do. I stopped at my favorite farmstand and bought some beets and carrots with attached greens so that had to be prepped. And stopped at the post office. And stopped at my cousin’s for a bit. And the dog was walked and the plants watered. And I made some dog biscuit dough (spoiled dog). And have finished up making a pot of coffee to freeze in ice cube trays. Maybe one day next week I’ll be lazy.

  25. I laugh at your lazy. (Okay, really I covet it, but I was lazy on vacation last weekend, so this weekend is catching up on all the things.)

    Went to the post office and the dump.
    Did some cleaning.
    Did some additional rearranging and kitten-proofing in the upstairs room where the foster kitties are, because the kittens are 16 days old and will be escaping their (larger) box and going free range soon. Goddess help me. On the bright side, that meant I got to spend a bunch of time in the room with kittens. So there’s that.
    Then I had dinner and lazed a bit.
    Then I finished the revisions on my goddess empowerment book and sent it off to my St. Martin’s Press editor. Booyah.

    So no lazy, but there is actually some chance I might get to bed on time…or actually early. I’ll take it.

  26. I spent yesterday at a medical facility and came home looking like the volunteer for the Egyptology students’ Wrap A Mummy lesson — a challenge to get and keep a needle in my arm led to elbow and hand attempts on both sides (and a final effort with the Vein Finder midway down one forearm, very interesting). So this morning I slept right through the August meeting of SF RWA, oops! That’s about as lazy as it gets. Next thing is to compose an Annual Report from the local chapter of a ladies’ organization to turn in for the State Board of Management meeting. Since I was installed as president of the local chapter at the end of the spring meeting and there won’t be another until Halloween, this will be a report of supreme dullness.

    1. Should also have added that my day hooked up to needles was enlivened by rereading MANHUNTER and giggling and snickering all over again as Kate slowly eliminated aspiring dates . . . . .

  27. Well, I baked for breakfast, exercised, weeded, make soup and uncooked tomato sauce, did some laundry, drove my husband to the airport, and food shopped.

    But I completely ignored all the urgent work I took home from the office. Does that count?

  28. These were so funny and the lazy vs tired comments made me wonder if being tired isn’t the same as being lazy. Lazy is intentional or in the case of Sancia (in Heyer’s The Grand Sophy), a state of mind and a way of life. (Grand Sophy is totally re-readable!). If you’re tired, you need to sleep. Lazy may include sleeping, but of the day-dreaming variety.

    It also reminded me of that 4-frame Peanuts cartoon (the Charles M. Schulz one, for those not brought up with Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the gang):

    Charlie Brown tells Snoopy he has a telephone call.
    Snoopy (snoozing on his dog house) says, tell them I’m busy.
    CB says I’ll tell them you’re sleeping.
    Snoopy: Sleeping IS busy.

    (You can see the original by searching: snoopy charlie brown sleeping is busy)

    I’ve used that logic on a lot of my lazy days, hee hee.

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