I Bawled my eyes out watching the story of the woman who was trapped in the car for three days after a kangaroo jumped on her car and caused her to loose control and go down an embankment on Christmas Day. She had such a wonderful spirit. The experience has left her believing the life ahead of her will be better than ever and feeling closer to her daughter and grandchild than ever before.

I have seen that happen before when people have such life threatening experiences. It's not that we ever took life for granted before them it's just we treasure every contact we have with loved ones even more. As a grandmother myself I love seeing my grandchildren with their interests even the testors model paint, computer games, young adult novels and ballet performances. Families are so special. Just one more reason to be so very careful driving on the roads especially at dawn and dusk where there might be stray stock or wildlife.

About the accident:- Acting Sergeant Roy Elmes said the car could not be seen from the road.

"It's quite astounding and she's very very lucky. I'm sure she would have been quite relieved to have someone just happen to walk past and she's had someone to call out to and the rescue's been not too far away after that," Sergeant Elmes said.

"She does have some serious injuries. She's lucky though. I think the weather's been a bit cooler and we've had some rain, otherwise I think it could've been different circumstances."_

The story of the Woman trapped in car for three days.

I plan to achieve my long term results and reach my goals by making exercise & good nutrition and portion control a habit.
It takes 21 days to create a habit, after a month habits should take over and help push me into me regime rather than my having to motivate yourself to get to the gym I joined yesterday. Sometimes it helps if you promise yourself a reward like buy gold online for when you have achieved the action plan you set yourself.
Here are 10 tips to help you on your way:

1. Set Compelling Goals.
Fitness Goal.
I have decided I will get back to being able to swim 2 kilometers and run 5 kilometers on sand. No I do not expect to maintain that forever, I will be close to or at age 66 by the time I achieve that and then I will simply strive to maintain a reasonable level of fitness which will not require my proving I can continue to do that. It will simply be a measure of my having regained where I was set back and then striving to stay in reasonable health. 
.Setting yourself fitness goals each week will help you gain confidence as you achieve them.  Aim for a 30 minute brisk walk every day – and I plan to add three weight work out programs each week.  I have begun these working with weights in the hydro therapy pool.   The most important thing is to get moving and not use excuses, not allow inhjury or lack of fitness to be my excuse anymore.

Career Goal.
I wish to have my novel with a literary agent or publisher who I believe will be looking after its future.
I will be actively marketing my art work.
I will be developing my next major work in progress.

Tomorrow I will blog about my second top 10 tip on getting started with my goals.  What are your tips?

Writing Advice That Saves You in 5 Years | Jane Friedman

janefriedman.com
I just discovered this wonderful article, “Steal This List,” by Janis Hubschman (featured in the latest Glimmer Train bulletin).
It features advice that’s worth saving over a period of years—the kind of advice that’s critical to planning, writing, and revision.

I used so many aspects of that advice while improving my novel and making sure there was always action going on and the plot moving forward while my characters were engaged in duologue together.

When I first read this advice I realized I have my children laying in bed talking to each other at night. After reading that advice I had my children climbing out the window, for an adventure which was woven into the plot, while they talked to each other at night.  I know which moves at a faster pace when you read it.

I have come to realize where my son in law is concerned I always select the prefect gift if I get him something for his bar. He loves to entertain and you just cannot go wrong if people are the type to have barbeques and parties to buy drink coasters.

I have always found it harder to buy gifts for men than finding the right gift for a woman. However if they are entertainers it does make the choice of gift easier.  You can get gifts that will be of service and even have coasters custom made and personalized.

I use drink coasters around the house instead of saucers, They are easy to just wipe clean and leave in place to protect the furniture from marking. I even use them in the caravan. I don't like drink glass or coffee cup marks on furniture.

Several of my friends are getting involved in the 1 Million Kilo Challenge

It looks as if Channel 10 is behind as well as facebook

They have starting off 2012 by asking all Australians to pledge themselves healthy. More than half of all Aussie adults are overweight, so let’s "Work this down by working out.” Register your weight-loss goal individually or in groups and together let’s lose 1 Million Kilos.

Visit the 1 Million Kilo site below to get started!1 Million Kilo Challenge! www.1millionkilochallenge.com.auThe home of the 1 Million Kilo Challenge!

I stayed up very late last night but I went to bed happy having finally done the hardest part of my novel the brief parts of the book proposal to send to agents and editors.

I have my 7 word, 25 word and 150 word descriptions down pat.  Now I just need that fantastic book deal :-).


“Children begin and then try to stop an escalating culture of payback in this compelling story of treachery and love during European settlement of Australia.”

My book is called Dreaming Billabong. It is complete and consists of 100,000 words.

Dreaming Billabong fits firmly into crime genre.

Type of Book:  Crime fiction involving an inland Australian family.

 

Readers of my book would also read, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, A Painted House by John Grisham and To Kill a Mockingbird by Lee Harper.

Brief 150 word description of the plot:

            1880-81, The Peaceful inland settlement of Fife Springs erupts following a chance encounter between a naked Alan Fife and Charlotte both 10.

Following the birth of his half brother Aboriginal Australian Kanga, Alan swears vengance.

            1945s -1953’s --- Eight years in the life of Kanga’s grandson, Jarrah 13. --- Eight years punctuated by the Stolen Generation and post-WW2 European migration. Alan and Kanga are now embittered old men. Alan’s grandchildren Emily 8, her brother, Harry 14 are in danger. Alan’s son, Ian Fife, the Cattle King, wants to protect them but it is Jarrah’s cultural heritage and Emily’s innocence that combines to end the terrible culture of payback.  

            Dreaming Billabong explores big themes, and Shell chooses to tell it by showing the effects crime has on children. The result is a tough and tender novel of the struggle for justice for race and gender, and the pain of growing up.

_ The proliferation of the wattle, and the annual blaze of gold at the base and along the top of Fife Ridge, had been a mocking torment that near sent the grazier insane. His son Ian had the resilience to emerge relatively unscathed, emotionally, from a man whose mind never recovered from a trauma in his youth.

Those are words above have just been eliminated from my novel in my current editing process. Far too much telling my reader. It is much more fun for both reader and writer to show the story though actions instead of telling the story.


If you ever study writing course you will hear the words “show, don’t tell.”
Here are some tips that will help make your writing involve more showing and less telling of the story.

1. Use dialogue
Dialogue allows the reader to experience a scene as if they were there.
Don't tell your reader that Bill is angry make him say something that indicated this and kick the dirt as he says it. Let you reader hear the anger for themselves:

2. Use sensory language

Involve all six senses in your story. Let the reader see, hear, taste, smell and touch the world and the extra sensory  around them. Use language that incorporates several senses, not just sight.

3. Be descriptive

Don't use weak descriptive words like little, nice, seek out words that convey emotion. How is the hero feeling? Does unhappy say it? of is he desolate. Skip adding unnecessary words that weaken phrases. he isn't very unhappy he is inconsolable.  Being descriptive is more than just inserting a string of descriptive words. Choose the right word and know one well chosen descriptive word carries more punch than a string of descriptions. 

I'm happy i survived Super Saturday then working though til 3 am to catch up on my work. Having completed yet another edit and reduction of words in my novel-now close to 111,000 thousand words and getting more 'polished' with every edit. Pretty pleased with how it is looking at this point. Loads to be happy about here :-).

Super Saturday this week is a 'long story.'

I'll try to tell the short version.

I never volunteered for the job but I found myself yesterday with a truck load of bread that was either going to be dumped or I could distribute it to 'the needy.'
OK I did stick a weeks supply of bread in my own fridge and Reg and I ate bread for breakfast before we set out on several trips pushing a huge cardboard box in a large wheelbarrow around a rural retirement area visiting pensioners homes.  Surfice to say - it was a bigger job than I expected and my health issues made it tough going - I had just about bitten off more than I could chew - but I did it, with rests in between trips.  Both Reg and I had more than 'done enough,' by the end of the day. Then I needed to work until 3 am to complete the work I had planned to do before I found myself with a truck load of bread to deliver. 

I had a good 8 hour sleep and this morning I am eating grapes picked fresh off the farm for a 2pm breakfast which was delivered to me 'with compliments' by a neighbour I delivered bread to yesterday. I cannot describe the flavour - but it is nothing like the store bought and several day old variety. Ambrosia. Perfection,
\Oh YUM! Is this smelling the roses or what?