Butternut Squash, Pinterest, Punctuating Dialogue #writestuff #caffeinateme

Good morning everyone! (Guess what? I wrote this this morning, then forgot to post it! See the effects of not enough caffeine? See? ) Look at me all awake at six am! I actually got to see the sunrise over the treetops this morning. I always find that inspirational. Today is list day. I need to sort through the cupboards and make a list of all the items that I'm out of or running low on. Then I need to meal plan for the next two weeks. Then compile a complete list so that I can do the dreaded shopping Friday and Saturday. Yes, it takes two days. Couple of things that I started craving as soon as the cooler temperatures hit are Butter Nut Squash Soup, Roasted Butter Nut Squash  and sweet potatoes. Think I'll buy extra and freeze a bunch. 

This morning is a Pinterest kind of day, and as usual I found a load of great articles and recipes while I was loitering over there. I was supposed to be working on one of my boards. But Uh… I got distracted. At first it was a dozen or so butternut squash recipes, then sweet potatoes, then I realized I was really craving thick creamy soups… So you see how that tunnel widened and sort of swallowed me up, right?

What is one room a mummy doesn't need in its house?

A living room!

I finished the third chapter of Mum's the Word yesterday, and it will go live here at noon. My incredible editor Jae finished the third round of A Man of Unusual Talent edits yesterday and I found they were already in my in-box when I checked email this morning. So today's tasks are the third round of edits for AMUT and the fourth chapter of Mum's the Word. I'll be writing up the blurb for A Man of Unusual Talent today too, hopefully. Yesterday I managed one sentence of it. One that I'd already had in mind since I started writing the story, mind you. There's still time. I don't have a cover yet, so it's all good.

In other news, yesterday this article on mistakes rookie writers make hit my inbox. . Yes, I know. It's loaded with profanity and ego crushing snark. The thing is, he's not personally insulting anyone; he's making a point. I don't necessarily agree with everything the man says or even how he says it. If you take nothing else from this article, it's a great overview of how to punctuate dialogue. I don't know about you, but that's something I always have to double check in my manuscripts. Then I look at the dialogue so much that I have to grab a grammar book from the shelf to make sure I did it right. The explanation there is clear, concise and accurate.

On the other hand? Adverbs are your friends and there are other ways to say said. Remember, it all comes down to you and the story you want to tell.

This morning's note has been brought to you by the power of caffeine and the music of Tom Petty. Wildflowers. I just love that song. My heart lifts every time I hear it. Do you have any songs like that? *refills coffee mug* Thanks for hanging out with me, guys. Got to get over to those edits and see how Izzy and Owen are doing.