Deborah Wright

Deborah Wright

Deborah Wright

Sunset off St. Barts, 2011

Deborah Wright

Deborah Wright

Congratulations to all of the RITA^® and Golden Heart^® finalists!

Deborah Wright

Deborah Wright

No matter how much I love the cold–yes, I am a bit odd, why do you ask?–there comes a point during every winter in the Pacific Northwest when I miss the sun. Since we won’t be seeking the sun this winter, I decided to start sharing photos of trips past. Maybe the memory of heat and light will suffice for awhile. One can hope.

The following pictures are from the Caribbean cruise we took last March aboard Silversea’s Silver Cloud. We’ve taken several cruises (on other cruise lines), but this quickly became our favorite ship. The pictures are of the dockside at Roseau, Dominica on March 7, 2011. Enjoy!

Roseau, Dominica (3/7/2011)

Roseau, Dominica (3/7/2011)

Roseau, Dominica (3/7/2011)

Deborah Wright

I’ve decided to write the synopsis first. Gulp!

I’m still working out my writing process, so I can’t really call this a radical departure. Still, I’m having to change my mindset about synopsis writing and that is daunting. I’ve always viewed the synopsis (along with the query letter) as the most difficult part of writing. I’ve never liked writing them, but that was mostly because I could never really figure out what they should contain. I know there’s a lot of “how-to” information on the interwebz–God knows there are plenty of online workshops on the subject. And there are always workshops at RWA National, some combining synopsis with queries and pitches, some just on the synopsis. I’m not alone; synopsis writing is a topic that strikes fear in the heart of many writers.

However, something happened while I was frantically trying to figure out how to write the synopsis for The Lazarus Gambit. One of the links coughed up in a Google search led me to an article by Hope Ramsay titled The Seven Paragraph Synopsis on The Ruby Slippered Sisterhood. In it, she boiled the synopsis down to (what I’d consider to be) the bones of the story. Those paragraphs are enough on their own, if written well, but they also provide the framework for a longer synopsis, if required.

Once I’d written my initial seven paragraph synopsis of The Lazarus Gambit, I went right back and re-wrote it–five times. I’m still not 100% satisfied with it, but each time through was a learning experience. I’m rather embarrassed to admit it, but I think I may have learned more about the story than I did while I was writing it. Writing that synopsis was, for me, a revelation.

I’d always thought writing a synopsis before writing the story was: a) something only published writers did (for book proposals), and b) something that would kill the story for me (a fear I’ve long held). Part of the reason I believed writing the synopsis first would kill a story is that I truly thought a synopsis had to be several pages of detailed information. Trust me, that’s not what goes into those seven paragraphs. All you have room for is the essence of the story, not what happens in each and every scene. Like I said, a revelation.

My plan is to work on the seven paragraph synopsis first. I’ll be doing this with the understanding that it’s a very loose outline at this point and subject to change. But at least I’ll have a framework I can build upon. We’ll see how it goes. If it works, it’ll be another tool in my writer’s tool chest. If it doesn’t, well, no harm, no foul.

Deborah Wright

It became abundantly clear to me a few years ago that I needed to stop with the excuses and start moving. Last year, from spring to late fall, Mr. W and I decided to try to walk every day (at least, when the weather cooperated) for at least an hour. If we weren’t able to walk outside, I generally tried to do some sort of physical workout indoors, though I confess the word that best described those workouts was sporadic.

As part of my goal to lose weight and become more fit this year, I’ve committed to being active every day. In order to track our activity, I created a chart using Post-It flip-chart graph paper and taped it to the wall in a prominent place (using painter’s tape!). The chart is divided into 7 weeks, and each week is divided into days. Mr. W and I write our activities on the chart in brightly colored markers. It’s very satisfying to watch the chart fill up!

I’ve channeled my inner athlete and increased the frequency and intensity of my workouts. When we moved to Oregon, we knew we faced longer and more severe winters than we were used to in San Jose. Instead of joining a fitness club or gym, we invested in a couple of pieces of workout equipment for our home. First was a rowing machine. Mr W enjoys rowing, but for some reason I find it boring as all hell. However, I will occasionally row as a way of changing up my routine.

The second piece of equipment we purchased was a treadmill. Once I made the “be active daily” commitment, I started walking on the treadmill more frequently. I never thought I’d actually prefer working out using equipment, but I’ve fallen in love with my treadmill! In December, I was doing well if I walked for 40 minutes a couple of times a week (without raising the incline). I’m now walking on the treadmill at least 5 times a week for 60 minutes, and usually with an incline.

In addition to the treadmill (and occasional rowing machine), my workouts include yoga, light weight work, and a step routine–not always on the same day, of course. We’ve also taken up bowling as a fun and inexpensive way to keep active indoors during the winter. When we bowl, we use two lanes and rarely take breaks. I figure throwing a 12 pound ball down a lane for 60 to 70 minutes is a decent activity. :-)

My yoga routine is taken from Richard Hittleman’s 28 Day Yoga exercise plan. I’ve been using this book as a reference since I was in my teens and I put my own routine together from the exercises I enjoy doing.

My weight routine consists of using 3-5 lb dumbbells: bicep curls, military press, upright row, bent over dumbbell reverse fly, one arm standing tricep extension or tricep kickbacks. In the next few weeks I will start adding squats, lunges, pushups and situps to my weight work.

Here’s what a week’s workout might look like:

Day 1: Treadmill 60 minutes, varying incline from 7 to 3

Day 2: Yoga (20-30 minutes), Weights (3 sets of 10 each exercise)

Day 3: Yoga (20 minutes), Weights (2 sets of 10 each), Treadmill 60 minutes doing windsprints (alternating 60 second sprints with 60-120 second recovery), cooling down with fast walk for 10-15 minutes

Day 4: Yoga (20-30 minutes), Step routine (45-50 minutes)

Day 5: Bowling (60-70 minutes)

Day 6: Yoga (20-30 minutes), Weights (2 sets of 10 each), Treadmill 60 minutes, varying incline from 7 to 3

Day 7: Yoga (30 minutes)

Each week varies, of course, but so far this is fairly typical. I must say, I have more energy and feel better than I have in quite awhile.

How do you stay active during the winter? How about year around? I’m always on the lookout for additional activities to incorporate into my workout routines. :-)

Deborah Wright