Second chances

I've never been much of a Colin Farrel fan, but after seeing the previews for the remake of Fright Night, I'm willing to give him a second chance. Maybe even a third...

Colin's also been my muse avatar before, though admittedly not an effective choice. I'm going to be the bigger person and allow him a second chance on that role as well. I know, I'm nice like that. *blush*

Second chances are fitting since this week I'll be digging through some of my old projects to determine which ones should be shelved for good - and which of the staggering number of my three-chapter-starts might still have the opportunity to see light of day.

Despite a myriad of day job stress, home renovations, and a general lack of writerly mojo, July was a productive month. I completed a short story for an Anthology that comes out in October, finished the second book in the Chase Duffy elementary series I'm writing for the Alberta Canola Producers, and the amazing Judith Graves and I knocked out a short story, a full TV script, and a whole lot of plot outlines. (Not to mention the bones of yet another series...)

August needs to be just as productive.

This month begins a new schedule that will allow for increased writing AND reading time. The year started with a bang, but since April, I've had some shaky moments and the downward spiral has been fast. I stopped reading. I stopped regular blogging. I stopped working out. And if it hadn't have been for a couple of awesome friends - and two non-negotiable deadlines - I would have stopped writing altogether. How quickly I forget that writing is sometimes the best way to crawl out from under that stress.

So this week, I'm leaning on Colin (and resisting the urge to re-cast Alex Skarsgard because man is he kicking ass as Eric on True Blood these days...) to kick off "second chance" month.

- Dawn

The Book In My Bag Today: Graveminder, Melissa Marr