Deborah Woehr

I have one week left to prepare for this year’s NaNoWriMo contest. So far, I’ve written three quarters of my outline and am struggling to figure out how this story is going to end. Usually, I have a general idea of how my stories are going to end before I write the first word. But this time, the ending is elusive.

Coming up with a title was also difficult. This story has a strong paranormal element, plus plenty of family and legal drama. As of now, my working title is Unfinished Business. This might change as I delve deeper into the story. I’ve decided not to worry about it right now.

The outline I’ve created so far is very detailed, almost a novelette. So I have plenty of material to keep me going throughout November. The question is, will it be enough to create a 50,000+ rough draft? I’m hopeful.

This year, I plan to attack this contest a bit differently. I’m not going to use my computer. Rather, I’m going to use my Neo, which has been gathering dust for a while. The problem I’ve had (aside from the blocks) in past contests is my obsession with editing as well as daily word count.

Last year, I reached the 30K mark. This year, I’d like to meet or surpass 50K.

The story of Anne Pressly’s beating/robbery made headline news last week. Today, I found out that she has died from her injuries last night. Anne was a 26 year-old news anchor who played the small part in Oliver Stone’s “W.” Although the police have no suspect and no motive (other than a robbery), Associated Press stated that her brutal beating could have been politically motivated.

The news of her death sparked outrage, which lead to a very heated argument between Shane of Daily Kos and Eric Dondero of Libertarian Republican when LR titled its post Arkansas TV Reporter Anne Pressly dies from her injuries: Daily Kos blames “Right-wingers” and even Sarah Palin.

LR went on to quote what Daily Kos said in his emotional post about his feelings toward the right-wing establishment and Sarah Palin. While Shane made it clear about his feelings about Sarah Palin and about Republicans, he did not blame her for this woman’s death. Eric’s title was very misleading.

What makes me angry is the media’s assumption on Friday that murder was politically motivated. The police hadn’t caught the suspect yet! They decided that since she played an Ann Coulter part and worked on the McCain campaign that this must be true. How irresponsible and how convenient for their liberal bias. I remember a time when reporters were supposed to report only the facts, not rumor or conjecture. This is why I don’t watch the news. I’ll read the articles online and take them at face value, but I trust the media even less then I do the politicians. As far as I’m concerned they are nothing but shit disturbers who are trying to incite a riot within this country so they can get better ratings.

I’ll be so glad when this election is over.

Sources: Arkansas TV Reporter Anne Pressly Dies
Anne Pressly Has Died of Her Injuries. I’m Grim.

I’ve been thinking about getting a plain map of the US, just so I can mark every state I’ve visited. Hawaii isn’t listed, but I’ve been there, too. There are places I’d just as soon not go, such as Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma. I’ve heard that this is the most boring region of the country. I’d love to go to Wyoming in the early summer, where I can drive to a rural spot and see the Milky Way. I hope to make it to Boston and Bangor, even Mt. Rushmore so I can see the faces I’ve stared at in history books.

At any rate, Jason at Longstride pointed me to this site where you can check off every state in the US you’ve visited. Once you’re finished, you can create your own jpeg image to upload onto your blog or save on your desktop. Thanks, Jason!

This is one of several pictures sent to me in an email by a friend. It reminds me of my oldest son’s second Halloween, when we dressed him in his costume. He hated it. The expression on this poor dog’s face is priceless.

This picture says it all about our economic state, doesn’t it?

I remember how bitterly disappointed I was when O.J. Simpson was acquitted for the murders of his ex-wife and her friend. He was guilty, and he should have gone to Death Row for what he did. Thirteen years to the day of the 1995 acquittal, a Las Vegas jury declared him guilty of armed robbery and kidnapping. He faces 15 years to life.

Source: New York Times