Groovin'...on a roll...

Movie Excerpt of the Day: (From Spaceballs)

Dark Helmet: Before you die there is something you should know about us, Lone Star.
Lone Star: What?
Dark Helmet: I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate.
Lone Star: What's that make us?
Dark Helmet: Absolutely nothing! Which is what you are about to become.

I had a sort of Epiphany yesterday about my middle grade mystery. So, like the writer on a roll, I wrote and wrote until 2:30 a.m., and now I'm deader than a doornail. Blech. I've got to wake up.
Funny thing is, when I did wake up (I'm usually ripped out of sleep by our dog whining to go out to the bathroom at 6am) it was nearly 8 AM, Thing One (my seven-year old daughter) had already taken the dog out, made her bed, poured cereal for herself and the boys, and was playing a board game with them to entertain them while I caught my Z's.
Needless to say, I was impressed. What a responsible little tyke she is. (She's a lot like her father, that one.) Of course once they knew I was awake they promptly began fighting over the game (MOM! THING ONE CHEATED! NO I DID NOT! YES YOU DID! MOM, THING ONE HIT ME! NO I DIDN'T! STOP SMILING AT ME! MOMMMMMMMMM!!!!)

So of course I had to go down and mediate/clean up. But Thing One surprised me. She's going to be a good mommy someday, aside from whatever she chooses to do. (I have a sneaking suspicion she's going to take after me: Writer/Amateur historian/Wannabe archaeologist. Which will be just fine.

She's so excited.--they have this auction on Ebay for uncleaned, unsearched lots of ancient Roman coins--I figured what the heck, why not. So we bought one lot and when they get here, Thing One and I are going to clean them and see what we find. (I'm sure they'll be a lot of black faded coins--but she's just excited that they are thousands of years old, and frankly, I am too!)
It's nice to have a daughter who is into the same things I am. In fact, its a little scary, she's me when I was younger, right down to the little devious streak--only she has blonde hair.

Anyway, about my Writing Epiphany: I have the first novel written, and the second novel roughly outlined, but my character grows one year older with each year, because she always comes back to her Uncle's house each summer. So, every summer, she is one year older, and has an adventure where a mystery is solved. In the first book, she's fourteen, which means that if I go until she's ready for college, I would be writing FIVE books total.
So last night, (until 2:30 am, ARGH) I "rough outlined" and put a working title on each of the five books in the series. (I am glad that I'm doing this before I edit the first book, because there are little details I need to put into it that will make sense later in the other books.)

It's actually kind of fun. My heroine is like a little "Indiana Jones-ette In Training" and she will have many adventures and travel the world before this is all over--and of course, she'll solve some great mysteries. (Well, at least great in MY mind, who knows, it all might be complete rubbish to everyone else.)

It's like in just the last few months I "woke up" and became a writer. So now, my goals for August include:
-Edit Book One and get it ready to send off to the agent for a read
-Research Book Two (for the historical mystery part)
-Get 10,000 words in on YA novel
-Continue outlining Books 3, 4, and 5 in the series

I've decided to lay off the trilogy (Book One is on submission but I suspect I'll be getting the "We like it but no thanks" any day now) because unless I can sell the first book, the rest of the novels in the trilogy would be a waste of time at this point. It kills me to have to shelve them for now, but I have to be realistic.

Ugh. I'm going to go have a diet Cherry Coke. I need to WAKE UP!!!