Mistakes Galore

I sat down last night to start proofreading and am freaking out at the number of mistakes I'm finding. One chapter had the last page missing from it!  I'm having heart palpitations that I'll miss something major like that and we'll go to print...

Whatever program Robert used to transfer the file into his software from Word, it didn't transfer exact.  For example, all the circled trademark or registered trademark signs came over as apostrophes.  Then there are lines of dialogue that are split in two and assigned two different lines, extra quotation marks everywhere (I don't know what's causing that), and it looks like a lot of the sentences don't have a space after the period.  It's a little scary.  I'll read through and proof it several times and have Blair read it at least once. Then it goes back to Robert for edits, he sends the final copy to us for one last proof, then we're off to the printer.

I'm still mainly excited though. I contacted the printer yesterday to let them know the book is almost done and to get a revised quote. I can't wait until I can actually hold the book in my hands.  I may go so far as to sleep with it under my pillow that first night.  Don't put it past me.

50 Pictures On A Sunday Morning...(that'll wake you up!)

I've been using one photo for the past several years as my "author headshot" and this morning decided it was time to make some changes.  I got up, showered, put on makeup and carefully styled my hair, then asked Blair to take some close-ups of me with the digital camera.  Needless to say, the morning came close to ending in tears...

My face is not symmetrical.  A small thing in life to complain about, surely, but a flaw nonetheless.  I read an article in some semi-scientific magazine once (I was waiting at my doctor's office) and in it they discussed a study that found that we like to look at people with symmetrical features.  I remember they used Denzel Washington as an example.  If you look at him straight on and draw a line down the center of his face, the right side mirrors the left.

Anyway, my left eye squinches shut when I smile and it gives me a lopsided look.  So I spent the morning trying to turn only the right side of my face toward the camera.  Poor Blair tried hard to keep me in good spirits as I looked at the proofs (I miss the good old days when we could wait a week to see how bad we looked on film) and muttered, "No, not that one.  No, not that one either," and then stalked into the bathroom to add on yet one more coat of lipstick.

We did get some okay shots.  These two are probably my favorite:

I'm going to have to bite the bullet someday soon and pay a professional photographer.  Blair is aching for a new digital camera and tried to convince me I'd look pretty if a new camera was taking the photo.  I wanted to believe him. =)

We also had to get some shots with the cats for the Afterword in the book.  Riiight.  Not a chance.  Here's the best photo we were able to get of Lucy. Notice how I've thrown myself on top of her to prevent her from leaving.

I'll share more pics later, including perhaps some "blooper" shots where the cats were leaping out of our arms as the flash went off.  Tricky little devils, they are.

Putting Off Work That Needs to Get Done

I'm teaching a new class at a community college on Saturday, July 16th called Get Published! The Ins & Outs of Magazine Submissionsand I'm not ready.  Oh sure, I know enough to talk my way through the three hour class, but I want the experience to be more.

I've had "work on course outline for magazine writing class" on my "To Do NOW" whiteboard for the past 2 months, and yet I've probably spent no more than 2 hours total on it.  It's not that I'm worried about getting it done--I always get everything done--but I want to produce quality work and if I throw it together last minute, it will be less than what I know I'm capable of.

There are 2 reasons I see for why I'm avoiding working on this.

1. First reason is that since I am a list-maker, nothing gives me greater joy in life than crossing items off my to-do list.  So I end up spending my time on small projects instead of tackling the big ones.

2. The real reason is I'm not sure what to expect.  I haven't taught the material yet so I can only guess how long it will take to cover each section.

I've taught my Scared Speechless course so many times I can adjust it to 30 minutes or 2 hours at whim.  I know how long it takes to cover the material in each section, I pretty much know by now what questions will be asked, and I feel confident steering the discussion.

This is all new and it's intimidating.  And probably the 3rd reason I'm not devoting time to it is I work best on deadline.  I don't like working on deadline, but I really do some of my best work. If I start too early on a project I'll spend 3 days mulling over a paragraph because I know I have the time to do so.  If the article is due tomorrow, I plow forward and get the s--- done.

Speaking of which, the "small" task on my to-do list was to blog about something.  The big one remains to work on the course.  Blair is out of the house at the property for the next 2-3 hours, the cats are comatose, it's Sunday so there's nothing good on TV--I have no excuse.  It's time to create a course.

Book Promotion

Preparing Saturday's speech took quite a bit of wind out of my sails. I have a million projects going on (yes, that's right, a full million. I counted. Don't question me) and preparing the speech set me back several days.

BUT, it was good promo time. One of the points in my speech on Establishing Yourself As A Professional Speaker was that you never, while starting out, turn down an opportunity to speak. And aside from speaking and gaining exposure, I got to tell 30 people about my book, and complete a Toastmasters Advanced Speech to boot.

I received an e-mail this morning asking me to do another speech. A woman from a business woman's group I spoke to last summer wants me to come speak to another group she belongs to. She's pre-booking dates from August to June of 2006.

It's just wrong to know 12 months in advance what your schedule is for next year. But I'm moving more and more in that direction. Most conferences book their speakers 1-2 years out. I'm applying now to speak at writer's conferences in 2006 and 2007. Let's hope the writing career steps up a notch between now and then, shall we? =)