You need the bones.

I told my daughter something last night and thought I'd pass it along.

She commented that she keeps changing tenses.  First of all, the fact she understands tenses and that she shouldn't be changing them is amazing.  The kid is 9.

But anyway, she is concerned because she is doing it and was grabbing an eraser to fix it, since she's hand writing it.  I told her not to worry about it now.  Just write.  She looked at me funny like, how was she supposed to ignore problems like that now!?  It's distracting!

Well, yes, it is, but during NaNo, you don't delete.  You press on.  Fix it later.  Write it now.  Get it out.  Get it on paper.  Fix it later.

She still looked confused so I told her:

You need the bones.  First you need the part that makes the story strong.  Beginning, middle, end.  Get that out.  The rest is just fluff.

The meat is the characters and how strong and real they are, how good the details are and how real you can make the whole thing.

The skin is the spelling, what we often see first, but really it's just window dressing.

What you're worrying about is hair and make up.  You need the bones first.  You can doll it up later.

She chuckled, and continued on, and put that eraser down.  Good girl.

This year, it's a family affair.

I have kiddos starting their NaNo stories just like me.  Tonight we went to the store and bought a batch of brand new pencils, they each chose a special notebook just for NaNo, and my daughter sits beside me at the table pouring over a baby name book.  She is naming her characters.

We discussed plot ideas, the importance of writing our ideas down (Miss Anna, 9, nearly forgot her idea entirely by NOT writing it down!), and that it is okay to write fan fiction if they want.  Mr. Aaron, 8, is going to be writing a Harry Potter fanfic.

But, regular homework must come first.  I'm keeping the boy's Spiderman notebook until he finishes his spelling list, and writes out his reading log.  I might have to confiscate it at the end of each day so we start fresh on these projects each day.

In any case, my kids, 8 and almost 10, are BOTH joining me for the first time ever.  Anna gave it a half-hearted try last year, and gave up all too soon.  She would have met her goal had she continued.

I look forward to seeing their ideas come together and help them tackle their problems within their plotlines!  This is going to be a fun year!

NOW!  If only they'd stop talking aloud about their own ideas so I could think about mine!!  LOL

Just a Sunday...

I hang out here listening to Christmas music and my kids downstairs, who should be cleaning rooms but probably are not, drinking my coffee and gearing up to play around in Scrivener a bit.

It's hard to believe Christmas is only a week away!  How did that happen!?  I really hope my packages I sent off to family get where they're going in time.  I should make phone calls and let people know things are on their way, even if they don't arrive in time.  :)

I made fudge and monster cookies to share, and sent cousin gifts off.  I was a little slow making the cookies, because I got sick, and a little slow getting them in the mail as a result...  but they're on their way.  So if you're one of my brothers or their wives, boxes are on their way!

I don't usually send cookies to all three of them... but my mother's got it in her head that Fair Trade chocolate is the only way to go.  And that's fine and good and all most of the time...  but it kinda ruins the cookies that are supposed to have M&Ms in them.  I know she made Monster Cookies too, but trust me. They're not the same without the candy coated goodness.

Anyway, I'll share the recipe with you all, because I love these cookies.  We make them every Christmas.  They're amazing and perfect cookies.  Assuming you don't have a peanut allergy.  The original recipe called for things by the POUND, and I fixed it up so this is a much more normal sized cookie recipe.  Should make 2-4 dozen.  Depends how small you make them.

Monster Cookies

Cream:

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 & 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

Add & mix in:

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 large eggs

Add and mix in gently:

3.5 cups rolled oats (longer cooking oats, not quick oats)
1 cup all purpose flour

Fold in:

4-8 oz M&Ms (christmas colors are my favorite!)
4-8 oz Semisweet Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350*F, ball up 2 tablespoons batter per cookie (eyeball is fine, but don't make them too big!).  Cook 8-12 minutes.  They will not look cooked but they will finish cooking outside the oven.  Let cool on the cookie sheet 5 minutes, then move to wax paper to cool fully.

Kids playing Monopoly are hilarious!

The kids are sitting at the table, I'm waiting for our soup to thicken and cool and melt some cheese, and I'm listening to their banter.  *snicker*

"This one is only 1.5 million, I have plenty.  I'm going to buy it."  Girl punches buttons.

Boy takes turn, "Mom, do I want to buy an airport?"

"Yes, buddy, you want to buy everything you can in that game."  He buys it.

"I'm going to buy this one too.  I'm going to put houses on them so you know they're mine."  She says, fishing in the box for houses.

"No," I say, stirring.  "You need to own everything of one color before you can buy any houses for them."

"Oh," she says, and puts it back.  Boy takes turn, quiet as ever.  Sister says, "This is 3 million.  Do you want to buy or mortgage it?"

"Um...  what's mortgage?"

"It's when the bank gives YOU money!"

"Wait, guys," I laugh.  "You have to buy the property first, then if you need money you can mortgage it.  But you don't want to do that unless you have to.  If you don't pay it back, the bank can take it away."  Neither of them replies, I walk out of the room, stirring done for the moment.

"So, do you want to buy or mortgage it?" She asks.

"Mortgage!  I want MONEY MONEY MONEY!   hahahhahhaha!"  Boy does Dr. Porkchop impression.

These two...  they slay me!

Miss Anna, mystery lover

I am a water scavenger.  I hunt throughout my house and find the opened-but-not-finished bottles my kids got into today.  And I finish them.  They wake up in the morning with no clue what has happened to the bottle they left out yesterday...  They think the water goblins came in again and took them.  MUAHAHAHAHA!

OK, that sounds so much more interesting than it is.  I only said that because I was thirsty and my bottle was empty.  I put it in the recycling bin and found a couple half-finished bottles on the table.  And took them.  Because walking downstairs to the garage to get a brand new one was too hard.

Yes, I said recycle.  You don't?  Earth hater.  Can't talk to you anymore.  (Or something...)

Anyhoo, I was up and discovered an Encyclopedia Brown book on my counter.  Miss Anna (8) has been at it again.  She finished the first one she found in a day and has moved on.  I'm thinking she likes these mystery books and she likes scary stories, so maybe it's time we move her along to some better things.  If Encyclopedia Brown can be devoured in a day's time, maybe she's ready for bigger stuff.  Things written for older audiences.

I debated Nancy Drew a bit, but a boy always comes to save the day in the end, so I'm not so sure I like that idea creeping into my daughter's just-starting-to-notice-boys brain.  She does not need to be saved by some man.  No thanks.

Ideas, anyone?  I really enjoyed Mary Higgens Clark, Agatha Christie, Michael Crichton, Robin Cook, and John Grisham, but I'm trying to remember how old I was when I began reading them.  I'm sure she can read the words and follow the stories, for the most part...  but I may have to read along with her and be sure there are not any scenes little eyes don't need to read.  Hmm.

I'm not one who subscribes to "intended age ranges" on books, I'll put that out there.  If it catches the kid's attention and makes them find a love of reading (and in my daughter's case, writing as well!), I'm all for it.  As long as we're not talking adult material in the hands of a child, of course.  ;)

I do have my limits.