Need structure? Want to find camaraderie? Tired of writing in solitude? Join our virtual office space. At TPR someone is always in the cubicle next to you.

Here's how the practice room works:

First of all, EVERYONE IS WELCOME!

At the given date and time (weekly schedule posted below), meet at post 1. It appears 30 minutes in advance of the hour (barring unusual circumstances), giving us a chance to set our goals in the comments. Declare your goal. Work toward furthering your project; word counting, revision, or whatever it needs - you decide.

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED! announces our hour. During that time, we write! The rules: no procrastinations. Please feel free to make tea or stand on your head as needed.

When the time is up, Post 3 appears with a chat box and we will get a chance to converse, or you can comment old-style to tell us what you got done! We are dying to know!

Read about a typical first time here. I make the schedule every Sunday. It will remain up in the side bar until I post the next week's schedule (feel free to make requests for particular times in the comments - I take them into serious consideration). All additions will be noted in in the side bar. Come back and check it often. (The schedule times are listed in Eastern Time Zone but the blog posts in Central - Tina's time zone. Our visitors are from all over the map.)

Please email me with questions, comments, or just to introduce yourself! tina dot laurel at gmail dot com

Don't forget to sign the guestbook at the bottom of the page!


Dec 28, 2015

Reconvention!

Maria and Dianne were present. Maria was revising, and Dianne has been pantstering.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat.

Dec 21, 2015

Reconvention!

Dianne and Maria were here, but not for long. It's a busy time of year!

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

Dec 14, 2015

Reconvention!

Krystalyn, Maria, Carey, and Dianne were here.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

Dec 7, 2015

Reconvention!

Maria, Krystalyn, and Dianne were here.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

Nov 30, 2015

Reconvention!

Maria, Krystalyn, and Dianne were present. Maria was working to complete her word count for NaNoWriMo. Krystalyn was trying to find time for her new idea. Dianne was pantstering a new project.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

Nov 23, 2015

Reconvention!

Maria, Krystalyn, and Dianne were here. Maria is working on her NaNo novel -- got over 1000 words in tonight. Dianne wrote 750 words more than she had in the past week. And Krystalyn worked on blog posts.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

Nov 16, 2015

Reconvention!

I wasn't present for this one. I think Krystalyn and Maria were here.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat! (I probably won't be here tonight. Please carry on without me!)

Nov 9, 2015

Reconvention!

Dianne, Maria, and Krystalyn were here tonight.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

Nov 2, 2015

Reconvention!

Yay! You made it! What did you get done? A chat box will  be here the first 1/2 hour after our unplug. Please sign up (I think you  will have to begin an account with Chatroll but it only takes a  second). After our chat I will remove the chat box and post the  highlights. For posterity's sake. If all else fails, please post your  report in the comments. If there is something I can fix I will do it as  quick as I can. And if you just prefer to do it the old school way, in  comments, that is fine too.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat! (This is a pick-up-the-kid-from-band night for me, so I will be late arriving to the chat.)

Oct 26, 2015

Reconvention!

Maria, Krystalyn, and Dianne were here. Maria is getting her WIP ready for crit partners and beta readers while gearing up for NaNo. Krystalyn has edits due for Tracy Tam 2, plus some blog posts. Dianne planned and outlined for two different stories ... then ended up pantstering something else entirely.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

Oct 19, 2015

Reconvention!

Krystalyn, Maria, and Dianne were here. We talked about what (if anything) we were doing for NaNoWriMo. We talked about current projects and finding the time/motivation to write.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat! I may be late for the chat.

Oct 12, 2015

Reconvention!

Krystalyn, Maria, and Dianne were here. Maria worked on re-writing a scene. Dianne is proof-reading galley pages. We brainstormed with Krystalyn about a Shiny New Idea that had lost its shine for her, trying to polish it to a blinding gleam again!

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

Oct 5, 2015

Reconvention!

Maria, Krystalyn, and Dianne were here. We discussed tax deductions for author research and being held back in writing by researching setting facts through Google Earth.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat! I should be on time for the chat tonight since my husband is home and can pick up the kid from band rehearsal.

Sep 28, 2015

Reconvention!

Krystalyn, Maria, Carey, and Dianne were here discussing current projects and convincing Maria that her idea was a good one and she should go for it!

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat! (I will be late again, picking up my kid from band.)

Sep 21, 2015

Reconvention!

Krystalyn, Carey, Maria, and Dianne were here. We all got a little done, but not as much as any of us hoped for.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat! As discussed last week, I will be late to chat for the rest of this month, due to having to pick up my daughter from band rehearsal.

Sep 14, 2015

Reconvention!

Krystalyn, Maria, Carey, and Dianne were here. Carey is working on a new project. Krystalyn is brainstorming. Maria is working out plot problems in her WIP, and Dianne was thrilled to have Krystalyn give her a much-needed push on her own WIP.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments!

Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

NOTE FROM DIANNE: I have to pick up Gina from band rehearsal at 9pm, so I'll be late for chat. How late depends on whether the band director lets her out on time. Gabbey has class Monday nights, and Bob is traveling all the weeks in September. We might need to discuss shifting the time of the chat to 8:30 or to 9:30 for awhile. Let's talk about that tonight.

Sep 7, 2015

Reconvention!

Just Dianne and Krystalyn -- and only because Krystalyn emailed Dianne to remind her it was Monday. We started late, and any other arrivals might have given up. Once Dianne had accepted the fact that this was, in fact Monday, we discussed Krystalyn's brainstorming for a new story and Dianne's copy-editing problems (to capitalize a magic item or not to capitalize, that is the question).

Aug 31, 2015

Reconvention!

Maria, Krystalyn, and Dianne were here. Maria is feeling a little frustrated and wants to have this draft done so she can get feedback. Krystalyn is trying to meet a deadline for revisions, and Dianne was working on a proposal.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

Aug 24, 2015

Reconvention!

Krystalyn, Maria, and Dianne were here. Krystalyn wrote earlier in the day. Maria and Dianne were reluctant to write tonight, but sat down and did the hour and were happier for doing it!

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

Aug 17, 2015

Reconvention!

Carey, Krystalyn, and Dianne were here -- but only briefly. KB had to work; Carey needed a break from screen time, and Dianne wants to get new words down.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

Aug 10, 2015

Reconvention!

Dianne, Maria, and Krystalyn were here. We discussed Maria's WIP, especially the climax.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

Sorry I'm late with the post again!!

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments!

Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

Aug 3, 2015

Reconvention!

Krystalyn, Maria, and Dianne were here. Maria got feedback on her first page today, which we discussed.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

Jul 27, 2015

Reconvention!

Krystalyn, Maria, and Dianne were present. Krystalyn is working on editorial notes for her next book, and so is Dianne. Maria came to a breakthrough on a chapter that was giving her trouble. Wordles were mentioned as a good way to check for over-repeated words.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

OOOPS. Sorry. Running late tonight, but chat will be on time.

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments!

Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

Jul 20, 2015

Reconvention!

Maria, Krystalyn, and Dianne were here. Maria is making progress on her WIP, and Krystalyn is starting a new manuscript. We discussed NaNo and Scrivener.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

Jul 13, 2015

Reconvention!

Carey, Maria, Krystalyn, and Dianne were here. Carey did some writing and was happy to be making progress. The rest of us had notes and ideas for our WIP, but hadn't gotten any actual words into the document.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments!

Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

Jul 6, 2015

Reconvention!

Krystalyn and Dianne were here tonight. Dianne is working on editorial revisions. Krystalyn had family duties and was just sitting down and thinking about getting started.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

Jun 29, 2015

Reconvention!

Just Maria and Dianne tonight. Maria has skipped over the problematic scene from last week and moved on. Dianne has made progress on her WIP, but not in a couple days since she was at the beach.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat! I know Krystalyn won't be here tonight, and since my beach visit got pushed back by a couple days, I will probably be driving home during most of this time. I might be here for the chat at 9pm, but please feel free to chat without me! If it's not too dark in the car, I might spend part of the journey making notes on my next chapter, so that'll count as my writing time! ~ Dianne

Jun 22, 2015

Reconvention!

Maria and Dianne were here. Maria was working on a problem where she needed to instigate a character to react a certain way and drive her into a specific scene, but was struggling at finding the right provocation. We discussed several possibilities.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments!

Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

Jun 15, 2015

Reconvention!

Maria, Krystalyn, and Dianne were here. Many distractions in our evening, but Dianne was working on line edits, Maria was reviewing her manuscript, and Krystalyn was working on a blog post.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments!

Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

Jun 8, 2015

Reconvention!

Tonja, Krystalyn, Carey, and Dianne were here. We all got a little bit of writing in, but there were many distractions: tornado watch, dinner, kids, etc. Better luck next week!

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

Jun 1, 2015

Reconvention!

Krystalyn, Maria, Carey, and Dianne were present tonight. We discussed our various stuck points and what we were working on.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments!

Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

May 25, 2015

Reconvention!

Dianne, Krystalyn, Tonja, and Maria were present. Dianne is working on her option book, but wondering how much time to invest in it without a publishing commitment as opposed to starting a new project. Krystalyn is re-working an old project with new ideas and new writing experience, but having trouble getting it started. Tonja is further along on a similar re-write, but not moving as fast as she'd like. Maria is trying to cut the unnecessary from her first draft and put what remains in order. In short -- we are all struggling with something!

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments!

Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

May 18, 2015

Reconvention!

Krystalyn, Maria, Carey, Dianne, and (a newcomer!) Tonja were here tonight. Tonja is revising a manuscript to send to her agent. Krystalyn was reading a book to critique. Maria is working on GSP, Dianne is working on her option book, and Carey has a brand new project.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

May 11, 2015

Reconvention!

Maria, Krystalyn, and Dianne were here -- Dianne working on her option book, Maria dabbling with something new, and Krystalyn working on revamping her blog site.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! In case I don't get here during check-in time, I expect to be working on my option book tonight. Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

May 4, 2015

Reconvention!

Just Dianne and Maria tonight. Maria was struggling with a chapter and after conversation, we narrowed down what particular details she needed to move forward. Dianne suggested making lists of what characters could supply the needed information and narrowing it down to who might best supply it in the appropriate context. Fingers crossed this helps!

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9pm for the chat!

Apr 27, 2015

Reconvention!

Maria, Krystalyn, and Dianne were here. None of us got much writing in because of various distractions. But we talked about our WIPs -- as well as previous WIPs we were rooting for. (Such as Maria's CB. Still want to see that one get a book deal!) We also discussed how to answer co-workers who ask, "How do I get my book published."

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on during the 8-9 Unplug time? Tell us in the comments! Refresh the page at 9 pm (EST) for the chat!

Apr 20, 2015

Reconvention!

Just Dianne and Maria tonight. We talked about the maturity of real teens versus teens in YA fiction versus real life Hollywood teens in movies or music. We concluded that the boy band in Maria's book was fairly realistic.

Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on? Tell us in the comments! As discussed last week, I am skipping a post about the 8-9 Unplug. It's in the title of this post after all! I'll be back at 9 pm with the chat! ~ Dianne

Apr 13, 2015

Post 3: Reconvention!

Maria, Krystalyn, and Dianne were here. Since it's mostly only the three of us -- ever -- we talked about moving to a chat-only scenario. But we liked having the designated writing time. We considered moving to Dianne's old Blogger blog, but that would require her to delve into Chatroll settings. So we decided to remain here, but Dianne is going to streamline to two posts and skip the "Unplugged" post in the middle. That way people can still sign in late,if necessary, and everyone knows to come back at 9 for the chat.

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

We are unplugged! We'll meet back at 9 pm EST in post 3 for a reconvention chat. If no one is there, the chat will be canceled.

Post 1: Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern


What will you be working on? Tell us in the comments!

Apr 6, 2015

Post 3: Reconvention!

Only Krystalyn and Dianne tonight. Krystalyn is finishing revisions and Dianne is working on a first draft.

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

We are unplugged! We'll meet back at 9 pm EST in post 3 for a reconvention chat. If no one is there, the chat will be canceled.

Post 1: Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on? Tell us in the comments!

Mar 23, 2015

Post 3: Reconvention!

Just Krystalyn and Dianne tonight. K is working on revisions. D is working on a first draft.

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

We are unplugged! We'll meet back at 9 pm EST in post 3 for a reconvention chat. If no one is there, the chat will be canceled.

Post 1: Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on? Tell us in the comments!

Mar 16, 2015

Post 3: Reconvention!

Maria, Krystalyn, and Dianne were here. Maria is making notes on her almost complete 1st draft, filling in the holes. Krystalyn is working on revisions to her latest WIP, and Dianne is writing a rough, exploratory draft to use as part of a proposal.

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

We are unplugged! We'll meet back at 9 pm EST in post 3 for a reconvention chat. If no one is there, the chat will be canceled.

Post 1: Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on? Tell us in the comments!

Mar 2, 2015

Post 3: Reconvention!

Dianne, Maria, and Krystalyn were present. Krystalyn was catching her breath after lots of family stuff, Maria was working on a 500 word response to a prompt, and Dianne was working on promotions and struggling with school websites.

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

We are unplugged! We'll meet back at 9 pm EST in post 3 for a reconvention chat. If no one is there, the chat will be canceled.

Post 1: Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on? Tell us in the comments!

Feb 23, 2015

Post 3: Reconvention!

Krystalyn, Maria, and Dianne were present. Maria will be using some headlines from the news in her draft. Krystalyn is seeking beta readers before her next draft. Dianne is getting ready to send revisions back to her agent.

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

We are unplugged! We'll meet back at 9 pm EST in post 3 for a reconvention chat. If no one is there, the chat will be canceled.

Post 1: Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on? Tell us in the comments!

Feb 16, 2015

Post 3: Reconvention!

Krystalyn, Maria, Carey, and Dianne were present. Dianne was late because she was talking to her characters. Carey gathered book recommendations for her upcoming vacation.

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

We are unplugged! We'll meet back at 9 pm EST in post 3 for a reconvention chat. If no one is there, the chat will be canceled.

Post 1: Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on? Tell us in the comments!

Feb 9, 2015

Post 3: Reconvention!

Maria, Carey, Krystalyn, and Dianne were present. Krystalyn talked about her experience at the Coastal Magic Convention, and everyone helped Dianne think through a plot problem with an old manuscript.

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

We are unplugged! We'll meet back at 9 pm EST in post 3 for a reconvention chat. If no one is there, the chat will be canceled.

Post 1: Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on? Tell us in the comments!

Feb 2, 2015

Post 3: Reconvention!

Dianne, Krystalyn, and Maria were present. We helped Krystalyn brainstorm backstory for her WIP.

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

We are unplugged! We'll meet back at 9 pm EST in post 3 for a reconvention chat. If no one is there, the chat will be canceled.

Post 1: Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on? Tell us in the comments!

Jan 26, 2015

Post 3: Reconvention!

Maria, Krystalyn, Carey, and Dianne were present. First, Maria explained her plot problem and -- in answering our questions -- explained herself into a possible solution. Then Dianne explained HER plot problem and fielded different suggestions until one of them clicked. This is why we come here! Yay us!

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

We are unplugged! We'll meet back at 9 pm EST in post 3 for a reconvention chat. If no one is there, the chat will be canceled.

Post 1: Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on? Tell us in the comments!

Jan 12, 2015

Post 3: Reconvention!

Krystalyn, Maria, and Dianne were here. We brainstormed plot solutions for Maria and story ideas for Dianne and Krystalyn.

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

We are unplugged! We'll meet back at 9 pm EST in post 3 for a reconvention chat. If no one is there, the chat will be canceled.

Post 1: Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on? Tell us in the comments!

Jan 5, 2015

Post 3: Reconvention!

Maria, Krystalyn, and Dianne were here. We talked about daily goals and marketing strategies.

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

We are unplugged! We'll meet back at 9 pm EST in post 3 for a reconvention chat. If no one is there, the chat will be canceled.

Post 1: Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on? Tell us in the comments!