An early edition of WOW . . .

Good morning!! Being on this time difference has led to some strange things. One of those being an early edition of this week's WOW.

It's a fun one . . . but kind of random . . . and very long!

PICKLE!

The definition of pickle includes:

1. An edible product, such as a cucumber, that is preserved and flavored.
2. A solution of brine or vinegar for preserving and flavoring food.
3. A chemical solution, like an acid, used to remove scale and oxides from metal before plating or finishing.
4. A disagreeable or troublesome situation, a plight.
5. A rundown in baseball.

SO MANY DEFINITIONS!!! AAAAHHHHHHH!!

So which one am I using for this post?

Should I make you guess??

Nah . . .

Okay, even though in most cases the first one would apply (especially since my kids LOVE pickles - and I didn't realize definitions #1 and #2 could be interchangeable). And since it is baseball season I could use definition #5. And I had NO idea #3 existed!

That leaves me with definition #4.

Yes, even though I am on vacation, I'm in a bit of a pickle right now.

I've been drifting around a bit in the writing department this past week. Feeling kind of lost . . . not sure which direction to go.

I had one of my magazine articles rejected a few days ago. And even though I was bummed when I got it, I also was able to figure out that my other short story must be under consideration since I haven't heard back from the magazine and it's been over 2 months since the deadline passed.

That got me thinking about my magazine stories again . . .

I go through phases where I want to focus on my short stories and non-fiction articles. I come up with ideas, collect information, write it down, and then either write the story . . . or forget about it.

Yesterday I pulled up one of the websites for a magazine I'm going to be published in, and found their open themes list had been updated. That got me thinking. Again.

So now I'm in a big pickle . . . do I continue to work on my novel, revise my picture book, or try to FINALLY write down my stories/articles?

A pretty pickle indeed.

Guess I know what I'll be doing this weekend . . . have a good one! :)

When life gives you lemons . . .

It's been a long day . . .

I use that phrase a lot, probably more than I should. But today I have a good excuse (and not just because my 8 year old was in a "it's all about me!" mood today).

This afternoon when I got home from a wonderful day at work I was hit with the unexpected - a rejection email.

The editor who requested my YA novel last August decided that although she liked and appreciated the subject matter of my manuscript, she was concerned about the character development of my main character.

What am I supposed to say to that??

I have to admit I wallowed in self-pity for about two hours, splurging on a Venti Mocha (even though I had already had one earlier in the day), but then I got talk to my wonderful Hubby and really think about what had happened . . .

- Think about the reactions of my 1st readers when they first read Cat's story.
- Remember all the hoots and hollers I got when Mrs. Larson announced to the class that I was reading Cat to them.
- Relish in the fact that just 2 weeks ago I got a rejection from another editor who not only affirmed my writing ability, but asked to see more!!

It all kind of put things in perspective . . .

So yes, today I got a lemon. A huge, ugly, piece of citrus!

But the upside is, I LOVE lemonade!! :)

What to do, what to do . . . .

Last Friday I got some good and bad news. All my patience had finally paid off, and I received an answer about my picture book.

It was dark when I picked up my mail that night, but when I saw the manila envelope, I knew it wasn't going to be good news. Little did I know I would be half-right.

What I found was a very sweet and appreciative rejection letter. That I expected. What I didn't expect was the hand written note on the bottom of the letter telling me that even though my picture book wasn't right for her, she noted that I was a talented writer and asked that I send her another manuscript, if I had one.

HOLY COW!!!

After I came down that little high, reality hit me . . . what am I going to send?

I have two YA novels completed, one is with another editor, and the other is sitting on my hard drive waiting for the finishing touches. Unfortunately I had planned to send the one on the hard drive to LA for the SCBWI conference.

So as you see, my title applies . . .

What to do, what to do??

Between my two finished novels, my picture book, and the other YA novel that I'm in the throws of working on right now, I have a lot of irons and just as many fires to put them in!

A happy but perplexing situation indeed.

So I'll be spending my next few days trying to figure this one out. I have until the beginning of June to have my manuscript in for the conference.

Let's hope I make the right choices . . .