Short On Time

There's never enough, is there?  Time, I mean.  We're given 60 minutes for an hour, 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, 52 weeks/365 days in a year, and yet there's never enough time for everything.

I have a mental list of all the things I want to do "when I have time."  That list grows longer, not shorter.  It doesn't include the dreams.  The vacations in a warm spot, with a beach and sunshine.  (I'm really tired of wearing 2 shirts, 2 pairs of pants, and 3 pairs of socks to keep warm...while sitting at my desk!)  And I really should put that list in my head on a piece of paper.  The trouble is, I'd probably lose it.  One of those things at the top of my list is to declutter my office.  It's not happening. :(

The fact is, right now I should be working on one of three deadlines.  One is small, one is medium, and the other is much bigger.  The small one is due ASAP or by Friday at the latest.  It shouldn't take all that much time.  I have a Dear Reader letter to write for my August book, along with a dedication.  I know what they'll both be about, but the difficulty is setting aside the time to do it.  The medium one is to finish reading through the proofs for that same book.  It takes some time, making sure everything is as perfect as possible.  (It's never perfect.  We're human.)  I have two chapters and an epilogue left to go through.  It's due next Tuesday.  And the there's the much bigger one:  Finish the book!  Or rather editing and polishing the book.  At least the first draft is written.  February 24th--that's less than two weeks away!--is the deadline for the full manuscript (entire book) for the last book in my Desperation, Oklahoma, series, which will hit shelves sometime early next year.  Hey, I'm trying.

The above are only writing deadlines.  Then there's life.  Pay bills, pick up a washer cartridges for two dripping faucets, declutter my office...after writing deadlines are met, buy groceries, fix meals, do some laundry so I actually have clean clothes.  Just the normal stuff.  Oh, and there are still taxes to do and send to the IRS.  Add to all that the 3-4 trips to schools during the week, and two upcoming no-school days next week.  Really?  I mean, REALLY!  Can we add a few more things to the Have-To's?

So what do I end up doing?  Watching basketball games and staying up much later to work on writing deadlines at night than I should, i.e. skipping much needed sleep.  My beloved Wichita State University Shockers are 26-0, one of only two unbeaten teams in the NCAA.  Only five more games to go.  And then my Kansas State University Wildcats are a must see...even though I forgot and missed the biggest game of the year on Monday, the second rivalry game of the year, KSU v. KU (University of Kansas).  And KSU won!!!!  Even though I knew the final score, I watched the whole game yesterday online. ;) Yes, I should have been working. :(

I've already given up two of the few television shows I usually watch.  I haven't seen one episode of this season's DOWNTON ABBEY, and I'm way behind on PARENTHOOD.  Except for basketball, there are only three shows (and the one CNN: The British Invasion special) that I've watched over the past month or so.  Do I miss watching TV?  Sometimes, but I'll find a way via online or other to catch up, if I feel the need.

When time is short, we have to set priorities.  We have to give up some of the things that are important to us.  Believe me, a little down time is needed to get through life, as it is, so giving up some of it is almost painful.  Yet following our dream is important, too.  Yes, work is what pays the bills, whether we love our jobs or not, so it can't be ignored.  Those other things can, at least for a little while.  There will be time, later, to enjoy the good things, too.  Or at least I hope there will be!

I'm off to work on those priorities, those deadlines.  Hope all is well in your world and you're getting done what needs to be done, yet still having a little "playtime!"

Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work. ~ H. L. Hunt

Crunch Time

It seems as if I'm always crunched for time, but right now, it's at the point of crucial.  Deadline looms for the last of the Desperation books.  I'm a scene + one chapter + an epilogue from having it written.  That will be done by the end of the week, but then there's editing and polishing.  Deadline is the 24th.

This past weekend, I'd planned to be much closer to being finished.  Weekends are usually my best time to get caught up on word count.  Not this past Saturday and Sunday.  I'd forgotten about college basketball.  I didn't even make a note of it, and the schedules I'd printed seem to have buried themselves under quickly scribbled plot notes and snips of dialogue. When I realized my beloved Wildcats were playing, it was far into the game.  And since two granddaughters were here for basically the weekend (more bad planning on my part) and had commandeered the TV, I watched the last half of the game on my computer.  The game wasn't going well, so I missed the last few minutes to switch to another.  Thanks to friends on FB, I realized that my beloved #4-in-the-nation Shockers weren't playing in the evening, but were just beginning their game.  It wasn't televised, so I listened to the play-by-play on the radio.  This game had a much better outcome, with a 23rd straight victory.  GO SHOX!!!  But then that other State university was playing yet another beloved team, the Longhorns, and UT was leading by a wide margin at half-time.  Obviously a must-see and well worth the time.  I giggled for a couple of hours over that one.  An impromptu dinner at oldest daughter's house took up most of the evening, but I came home and hit the keyboard, at least finishing two more scenes.  Can we say 'dedication?'  Can we say 'panic?'

My intention on Sunday was to bury myself in getting words on paper.  I ended up spending more time on line edits for the August book than I'd planned, and time went by without much notice...except for that nagging in the back of my mind that I really needed to finish the line edits and get cracking on that new manuscript.  Then came the sad news that Philip Seymour Hoffman had died, as I eagerly awaited 8 p.m., when the CNN documentary, The 60s: The British Invasion, a lead-in to a new series, was to come on.  But PSH news kept that from happening, and it wasn't until 10 p.m.that the CNN docu finally aired.  I'm really looking forward to the full CNN The 60s series in May.  I truly enjoyed The British Invasion, listening and watching all the great bands and music from that era and how it all shaped, not only the music of today, but the world.

So this is my life at this point.  The usual running back and forth to schools to drop off and collect the g-kids, checking Facebook off and on during the day, and racing to that deadline.  A threatening snowstorm over the next few days may put a crimp in my crunch if school is closed due to weather.  Which would be better?  Refereeing 5 kids or having to drive through snow to get them to and fro?  Something tells me I won't get to choose.  Mother Nature sometimes has a lousy sense of humor.  I'm working on mine. ;)

The thing that would most improve my life is 27 hours in a day. I could meet all my deadlines. ~ Yoko Ono

Or not. 

Do-Overs and Deadlines

deadline - the point in time at which something must be completed

We all know about deadlines.  We have at least one a year for paying taxes.  Most everything we do has a deadline, from making meals (deadline is people who whine that they're hungry!) to that April 15th one.

I knew I'd heard the back story (writers term) about how the word "deadline" came into play.  The etymology of the word.  But since I don't trust my memory, I looked it up.  It's believed the word was used and came from the "do-not-cross" line in Civil War prisons (1864), which was made known during the Wirz trial.

Here's one of the best I found that will hopefully stick in my mind.

And he, the said Wirz, still wickedly pursuing his evil purpose, did establish and cause to be designated within the prison enclosure containing said prisoners a "dead line," being a line around the inner face of the stockade or wall enclosing said prison and about twenty feet distant from and within said stockade; and so established said dead line, which was in many places an imaginary line, in many other places marked by insecure and shifting strips of [boards nailed] upon the tops of small and insecure stakes or posts, he, the said Wirz, instructed the prison guard stationed around the top of said stockade to fire upon and kill any of the prisoners aforesaid who might touch, fall upon, pass over or under [or] across the said "dead line" .... ["Trial of Henry Wirz," Report of the Secretary of War, Oct. 31, 1865]

Not a pretty story, is it?  "Under the gun" comes to mind.  I'll have to look that one up, too.

So that's where I am.  On a deadline.  There are all those others to contend with, too, but this one has my full attention.  Last night, I finished that "do-over," rewriting much of a book my editor liked but thought could be better.  I hope it is.  One final read-through (maybe), and I'll send it off in a couple of days.  Anything I could ignore during the time racing for the deadline was set aside for later.  But later may be just as bad.  I have another book to write with a deadline of...February 24.  Yeah, I can see those guys standing with their guns, ready to fire.

Let's face it, I'm under the gun and don't want to cross that line to be shot.

So now you know the whole story.  Or most of the high points, anyway.  If my blog is late, so be it.  Those guns are pointing at me.  Sometimes I don't know what day it is, but I keep plugging away, keeping that line and those guns in view. *shudder*

Have a great week!  KEEP WARM!!!

A deadline is negative inspiration. Still, it's better than no inspiration at all. ~ Rita Mae Brown 

Anything Is Possible

First, a quick note that Bestselling Author Kathie DeNosky (Harlequin Desire) is giving a workshop on Harlequin's website this week.  It's part of Camp Wannabe, created especially for those who aren't attending RWA's Conference in Atlanta.  Kathie's topic?  How to Plot Your Book the Easy Way.  Those participating are raving about it!    

Yes, it's true.  Anything is possible.  There's a catch, though.  It takes hard work and something else:  A goal to work toward.

I've been working on a new project, while waiting for word on a proposal I submitted a few months ago.  One of the things that bogs me down, when it comes to writing, is the waiting.  Write and write, then wait, and wait, and...  The waiting, not the writing, is the hardest part.  I tend to do little jobs during that waiting time.  Things like rearranging my office, sorting papers, playing spider solitaire, working on websites and wondering what else there was to do, besides waiting.  I'm smart enough to know that this downtime means getting out of the habit of writing.  When the muse goes into hiding, getting started again can be torture.  The muse refuses to be found.  This time I decided to try something to tempt the muse.

New Project, New Goal

Like most writers, I have old projects that I started and left behind.  I have projects that were rejected, some because they didn't "fit" the particular publishing line.  2+ weeks after I sent off that proposal, my determination to write during the waiting time hit big time.  I pulled out an old manuscript that didn't "fit" anywhere, and decided it was time to get to work on it, if only to lure the muse back to where she needed to be: On my shoulder, whispering that it was time to write.  Three chapters were already written (as per most full proposal length), the plot was there, so I knew where I was going.  On May 10, I started writing, beginning where I'd left off.  How long would it take to write nine more chapters?  I didn't know, but I wanted to give it a solid try with a rough draft, meaning no going back and tweaking, revising or rewriting.  Just moving forward.  By May 31, I'd written 200 pages.  I finished the epilogue (which hadn't been planned) on June 1.  Surprise!  I'd proven that if I seriously wrote most days (18 of the 21 days left in May), I could actually get a lot of writing done.

Another New Project?
With the rough draft finished, I thought, "Why not try it again with another?"  I took a day to look over an old proposal that I'd already tried reworking once before and decided the conflict was weak.  This new one needed some changes in those first three chapters that were already written, but it gained me 7 pages. I kept going.  By the end of the month, I'd finished almost four more chapters.  Then our local writing group's BIAW came up, and I set my goal at 40 for the eight days.  I wrote all but one day of those eight and ended up with 94 pages.  No, that's not a mistype.  94.  There was only one problem.  I'd planned on maybe 11 chapters, and I was now working on chapter 12, and there were more things to tell in the story.  Okay, 12 chapters would work.  Then it became 13.  I'm now working on the last scene of the book, the last of chapter 14.  I'll stand up and say that not everyone will write 20 pages or even 94 pages in a week, and that's okay.  I seriously doubt I'll repeat my all time high in this lifetime. ☺

Is this manuscript ready to publish?  Absolutely not!  It's rough.  I have the front of my notebook (story bible) covered in sticky notes.  But I know what needs to be done and where, and even how.  That "how" can be a real devil.

My work is cut out for me, but not now.  With an offer on a contract for those two submissions back in May, my attention must be focused on them.  Tonight, once that last 10 or so pages are written, I'll put the new 70,000+ words story aside.  Both manuscripts I've worked so diligently on to write will have a rest.  There's no deadline for them, but there are with book 9 and book 10 in the Desperation series.  I'll be wrapping that up, while another idea for a series simmers in the dark regions of my mind.  I'll take Friday (tomorrow) off, and start in Saturday on The Cowboy Meets His Match (that's a working title).  I won't be spending a lot of time trying to get back into the rhythm, because I haven't lost it.  This is not to say that I'll take a day or three or four break, here and there, until all is finished.  Life intrudes, and sometimes we simply need a break.  There's nothing wrong with taking a short one, then getting back to work.

Everybody needs a little time to do the things that they want to do and still do what needs to be done, whether it's a day job, being a mom or dad, or any other requirement.  Writers don't sleep, eat, and write only.  We're all human and need time to relax and do other things.  For writers, it can be a struggle to get back into writing again, after a long break.  Yes, it's tempting to take several weeks--a couple of months or more--to get away from writing.  After all, being chained to a desk isn't fun for anyone, even if it's doing something we love.  Train yourself to write on a regular basis and set goals.  You won't regret it.

By the way, there's a flip-side to this, too.  If the muse is whispering let's write and here's the perfect story in your ear, but you have other obligations, the frustration mounts.  Relax and adjust.  It's less painful.

Dreams seldom materialize on their own. -- Dian Fossey

Vacation? Not on the List of Things to Do.

Yesterday, life changed.  Why?  It was the first day of summer vacation for our local schools.  That meant that it was also the first day we were invaded by the children of my children.  Four of them, plus the three-year-old, who is here throughout the school year, will spend the weekdays with us, until sometime in August.  I haven't yet counted the weeks.

When does the writing get done?  Whenever there's a little piece of peace and quiet.  Rare, but it does happen, even in the middle of the day.

Staying up late and working into the wee hours isn't an option for me, even during the school year.  Setting a schedule of writing from 8 to 3 or any specified time doesn't work either.  Not only are the grandchildren a constant during the week, but I also own a website design company, and requests for updates come in randomly.  But the writing still gets done, although it isn't a constant each and every day.

One of the things that helps me is the BIAW program that my writing group has twice a month.  We post our page goal for the week (first and third Sunday and ends on the following Sunday) and report the number after the last day.  My participation has been spotty this year, I'll admit, but for this week, I decided to jump in with both feet.  My goal is 40 pages.  Not so bad when factoring in that we have eight days, which breaks it down to 5 pages a day.  It's doable, but requires actually putting words to paper, sometimes after a day that screams for sleep.

This week didn't start out well.  Our group's meeting was scheduled for that third Sunday.  Because we're wrapping up a writing contest and I'm the coordinator, Sunday morning meant tallying scores sent by members who judged to determine who won.  Of course the numbers didn't add up correctly, because I was rushing to get it done, so it took more time than it should have.  With the final tally done, I had barely enough time to shower and dress, then drive to the meeting.  Except...  As I was climbing out of the shower, the tornado sirens went off in our city.  I grabbed clothes and fumbled around as I gathered the things needed to head for my oldest daughter's house, three blocks away.  The meeting was, of course, cancelled.  We were lucky and received only large hail, high winds, and a whole lot of rain, instead of what could have happened.

Monday was taken up by website work, until school was out.  After dropping off the others, I left to take my oldest granddaughter to her ice skating lessons.  Ten minutes before it was over, someone turned on the television, and I saw the pictures of the tornado that had destroyed a large area of Moore, Oklahoma.  Once home, we spent the day checking on friends in the devastated area and watching the news.  By Tuesday, the images were still burned into my brain, but I finished the website work started the day before and took donations to the ice rink for the tornado victims, while my granddaughter had another lesson.  The evening called for other things and writing was forgotten.

Along came Wednesday, with it's usual interruptions that included a Kindergarten graduation and a 5th Grade graduation.  Another day to write sinking quickly.  Once the house emptied of small people after school--the Last Day!--I sat down at the computer.  At that point, I had a total of 3 pages the day before, although I don't remember when.  It wasn't a good start, but I'd managed to write those 702 words in bits and pieces of time.  By evening, I was at my desk and netted another 4 pages (768 words), finishing a chapter.  I then moved on to a new chapter.  By the end of the day, I'd added another 7.  Wednesday's total was 11 pages.  Word count for the day was 2394.  I was up to 14 pages for the week.  Not bad for three days of sheer madness.

Thursday (yesterday) I hunkered down at my desk, amid total chaos of the first day of School's Out for the Summer, and by late night, there were 11 new pages (2224 words).  I now have 25 pages written toward that 40-page goal.  Only 15 pages to go.  I'm determined to reach it.  After all, today is only FRIDAY, and the weekend promises some quiet writing time.  Still, I wonder what and who will come along to interrupt the flow of words, because I know something or someone will.

While I'd hoped I would have the first draft of this book written by tomorrow (dream big!), it won't happen.  That doesn't mean I'll stop.  Being behind can be inspiration to keep going, to keep working toward the goal.  One bad day or even a string of them, doesn't mean it's time to quit.  Writing every day helps keep the brain in writing gear, even if it's only a page or even 100 words.  Unfortunately, life can come along and keep that from happening.

The key is to set goals.  These should be reasonable goals, set with the knowledge of the amount of time necessary to complete, along with accepting that there were always be obstacles.  Learn to work around them and overcome them.  If a goal falls short, don't toss it aside.  Continue toward it, because in time, the goal can be reached.

Once your goal is met, you can celebrate.  Take some time off to enjoy yourself.  But don't let it take over.  Even though it's summer, we still have priorities to set and work to do.  I intend to make this a prosperous time, where writing is concerned.  You'll find that life has new meaning and that pride can lead to success.

Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.   ~ Tony Robbins 

Life is Full of...Stuff

It's raining.  Not that it matters.  At least it isn't snowing, as it did this past Tuesday night.  Not just a few flakes, but at least half an inch.  In April.  Late April.  Not December or even January or February.  April.  And this after the 20+ inches from the big snow in March.  Yeah, I'll take the rain.  We need it badly...if the snow and freezing temps didn't kill off every living green thing around.

Tuesday night was the first time I had a chance to kick back and not think about anything.  I watched a movie on HBO, then another on Wednesday night.  I think that's a record.  Movie/TV watching has been at a minimum this year.  Especially the past two weeks.

The middle of those two weeks were spent on writing three chapters and two synopses.  Something like 71 pages, plus plotting-in-a-rush.  Plus a daughter with a shattered back car window.  Tape was needed to keep a little rain out, so I went to the store and bought some for her.  Then half of Monday was spent picking kids up to take to school, a granddaughter who needed a ride to school, another granddaughter to an appointment, then to school, and topped off by a call from the school nurse, who'd run out of meds for oldest grandson.  I decided I needed a vacation.  Or an award.  Or at least one day of rest.

Rest doesn't come when needed.  Not ever.  Not even on weekends.  With three website jobs waiting, I'm still at the computer with no extra time.  Oh, okay.  I took a 3-hour nap yesterday evening.  It was that or get knocked out by my head hitting the desk.  With my luck, that kind of thing would give me a concussion.

Facebook, Twitter, Linkdin, Pinterest and all the rest have taken a backseat to bigger priorities.  In a couple of weeks, the current priorities will be finished and new will have arrived.  In another month, there'll be five kids between the ages of 3 and almost 12 to watch over, keep fed, and above all, keep safe.  We'll see how well that works.

Very few people have a life--or even consecutive days--of nothing to do.  Well, kids, do.  We know that because by the second week of summer vacation, we hear a continuous chorus of "I'm bored.  I don't have anything to do-o-o-o."  Anyone with children...or who have been one in the long ago past...can remember those days.  But we aren't kids.  We have responsibilities, jobs, families, and rarely enough time to do all of those things well.

So what do we do when life is full of stuff?  We schedule.  But what happens when the schedule becomes too full, leaving us with no extra time to simply kick back and relax?  Scheduling fun seems a bit forced, but if the time comes that it has to happen, when the body is near the point of collapse and the mind is too full of "musts" and "have-tos," when we stay up later to get things done and deprive ourselves of needed R&R, we really don't have a choice.

In Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, taking one day a week for an "artist's date" is strongly encouraged.  Mandatory, even.  One day to get away (as if that's going to happen in my life) to enjoy the things around us.  Get out, take a walk, visit a museum a park or a mall, or simply sit in the backyard/on the patio/the deck/the balcony/the beach, and do nothing.  If sitting and doing nothing is difficult--it is for me--read or watch a movie, especially a favorite.  Sleep, if needed.  Let yourself go, at least for a little while, and refill the well of not only creativity, but of life.  Good things will happen.

It's definitely time to take my own words of advice.

The great omission in American life is solitude; not loneliness, for this is an alienation that thrives most in the midst of crowds, but that zone of time and space, free from the outside pressures, which is the incubator of the spirit.  ~Marya Mannes

Surviving the Insanity

We've all experienced those times when we wonder if we'll beat the craziness that's descended on us.  For me, it's been the past 2+ weeks.  And it isn't getting better.

For the past few weeks, I've been working on what I hope will be the last (or last two) books in my Hearts of Desperation series.  It's time to bring an end to what has become, at this time, eight books, set in and around the fictional town of Desperation, Oklahoma.  To do that, there are storylines that need to be wrapped up.  For instance, there's an 80-something woman, who's been seen following/chasing an 80-something man around town for many years.  They have their own story to tell and maybe find their own happy-ever-after.  Babies have been born...with maybe a few more to come...and the children who have appeared early on, have grown in the last five years.  Couples have married and are settling in to enjoy small town life.  I've loved writing these books and the characters in them.  They're like good friends and a part of me.  But it's time to bring it all full circle and say goodbye to them.

You're probably asking what that has to do with surviving insanity.  Easy answer.  After surviving a week+ of Spring Break last month, we now have two more days of no school with grandkids--5 of them--to keep safe and somehow entertained.  It may be mid-April, but the weather today says it's late February.  Cold.  Rain.  Dreary.  Not the best environment for fun and games.  At present, the oldest and youngest boys (8 and 5), are doing their best to destroy my living room, with help from the youngest girl, who's 3.  The two older girls (10 and 11) are across the street, avoiding the mayhem with a friend.  By the way, the "we" above is myself and my youngest daughter, the aunt of the five.

And I'm trying to write.

I need to write.  I have to write.  The characters in my head are calling to me to tell their story.  We've been down this road before.  This is the third round for them, but this time we've hit on a winner.  Or hoping we've hit on a winner. ☺  But trying to write, while blood-curdling screams are coming from another room, just isn't easy.

I've already missed two weeks of blogging, and I decided that this time, I wasn't going let that happen again.   So here I am.  No special topic today, no writing about the art and craft of storytelling.  Only a simple statement to assure everyone that there are days...and more days...when the outside world can't always be shut off from the world we live in while creating.  As the Rolling Stones so aptly put it, you don't always get what you want.

With one chapter done, I'm itching to move on.  I'll do what I can, between saving the lamp with the now damaged shade and mourning the folding table I expect to collapse from the weight of two boys, who simply don't understand that it is not made of strong wood.  It's a fort, a cave, a place to hide out, while watching a movie.  For now, it's relatively quiet, but I really should go check on that crash I heard.

It is only when we silence the blaring sounds of our daily existence that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us, as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts.  ~K.T. Jong

Never Stop Learning

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

Imagine what it would be if we never learned.

Through our five senses--and even a sixth--there are countless ways we learn.  From the moment we take our first breath, we are constantly using information that comes to us from those senses.  Our brains are using this information to teach us.  As newborns, we quickly learned that a cry will bring comfort, whether it's food, a dry diaper, or the security of a parent's arms.  We become toddlers, whose first steps become walking.  From hearing others, we learn speech, and soon learn that when we're good, we are often rewarded, if only with a smile.  We continue to grow into a child making friends, then going off to school, where we begin to understand what learning is.

In school, we learn to read and write, to calculate numbers and what is out there besides what's in our little corner of the world.  We learn how we're each different and yet the same in many ways.  Some embrace the knowledge and continue to learn throughout life.  Those who struggle, often give up, but even so, learning continues.

As writers--one of the many branches of artistic creativity--we must keep learning.  As the world changes, so must we.  Learning is the key to doing that.

When reading articles and how-tos online, I often print the ones I want to keep for reference later.  Right now, it's a hodgepodge of topics, but the plan is to sort through them and keep the files updated.  I've learned that although I might not agree with everything, there's often a tidbit of information that I can not only use, but grow into something more. Learning.

In the 15+ years since I first began to write for real--you know, writing with a focus on  publication...someday--I've learned more than what one would think the human brain can hold.  And yet I still pursue more knowledge, because there's no way to know everything.  I'm not the only one.

Several of us in our local writers' group have begun delving into GMC.  I know, I repeat myself about that subject, but there are countless reasons why, the first being that it's important.  Although the group had gone over this many years ago, sharing it with members and revisiting has fallen to the side.  But with new members coming in the past couple of years, and questions being asked about things that pertain to GMC, it seemed like a good time to look at it again.  We're doing it on our email loop for the past week and a half, and people are learning new things.  Doing it on the loop means we're not set to a specific time and length, and we're able to share more and with greater specifics.

It all comes down to helping.  If I'd chosen to go it alone those many years ago, I might still be struggling to get a manuscript in front of an editor.  Fate stepped in with the advent of the internet for un-savvy people like me, who didn't know a byte from RAM, and I discovered a chat room for romance writers.  In that room, I met several people who became close friends.  One in particular was a RITA Finalist in RWA, who didn't chat much because she was working on her entry, in case an editor requested the full manuscript.  We met up in person a little over a month later in Dallas at RWA's National Conference and became friends.  She knew a lot more about writing romance than I did and helped me along the way.  Together, we were part of a few different critique groups, learning with others the ins and outs of romance writing.  We met others online via email loops full of writers.  Four of us who were closest sold within a year of each other, but I can guarantee that if I hadn't had the supreme luck of finding that chatroom and took the plunge to enter it, that wouldn't have happened for me.

Anything done well takes time.  A large majority of writers had written for several years before finally selling that first manuscript.  Working with other writers--and meeting new friends--to achieve that dream is as good as the dream itself.

Today, there are more opportunities than ever to meet other writers and find a handful that are just right for you.  It may take some time to learn which are the best for you, but it's worth the time.  When it comes to published authors, they may not have the time to take to teach individuals, but if asked for where to find help and information, they're usually happy to oblige.  All it takes is asking.

Yes, I'm still learning, sometimes because of mistakes as simple as not enough conflict or characters who don't jump off the page the way they need to, and sometimes because I need a refresher course or different way to do something.

If you want to learn, too, get involved.  There are writers' groups all over the country to join, there's Facebook and Twitter and Google + and more where new acquaintances can be made.  Articles online can be invaluable for someone looking for information on writing, as can a local library.  It doesn't take money to learn, when it comes to writing, but it does take desire.  I hope yours is growing, every day.

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.  ~ Chinese Proverb

Refilling the Well

WRITING WEDNESDAYS

Whether we write or have a day job or are busy raising a family, we all need to take step back once in a while and give ourselves the gift of doing nothing.

Before going any further with this, let me state that "doing nothing" isn't necessarily what it sounds like.  There's a whole range of possibilities and each of us should take the time, now and then, to explore some of them.

For the past six months, I feel like I've been going non-stop.  That could be because I have, in a way.  The grandkids, who had been staying at home with their dad who'd lost his job several months before, returned only two weeks after I'd set deadlines for two new books.  I'd become accustomed to not having them around, except to pick them up from school and take them to their home.  I'd forgotten how crazy life can be with them around.  My schedule and goals took a beating, and it's been crazy, but somehow I've managed to stay on course...or close, anyway.

The time of meeting deadlines will ease soon.  I'm wrapping up the last of what's needed on A NANNY FOR THE COWBOY, out in March next year, and hope to have the last chapter of DESIGNS ON THE COWBOY, June 2013, written well before the upcoming holiday weekend is over.  That will ease the pressure, and we all know how important that is.

While I admire those who are like the Energizer Bunny and never seem to run out of steam, I have a deep, dark suspicion that what we see isn't what's really happening. Why?  Because everyone needs some time to refill the well.

I'd never heard that term before, until I heard Kathie DeNosky use it back in the late 90's, when we were both struggling to sell our first books.  Kathie had been at the writing game a few years longer than I had, so she became my guide in everything writing related.  She taught me about the need to stop the insanity and refill the well that empties without us noticing when we have our nose to the grindstone.  (How's that for mixed metaphors?)  I do have to say that she didn't have to explain what "refilling the well" meant.  I got the meaning immediately.  It was the "how" that had me stumped.

Reading has always been an integral part of my life, but once I began writing, the reading time began to shrink, little by little.  Now just reading a handful of books a year is difficult.  There are those deadlines and all the other things in life that need attending to.  I envy writers who have the time to read the work of others, while moving forward with their own writing career.  I wish I could do the same.

Because I can't pick up a book every week or two and devote time to immersing myself in the worlds of other writers, I have to remind myself that it's important to take a break, no matter how short, and do some reading.  Time for that break is coming up very soon.  By next week at this time, I hope I'm in the midst of it and enjoying it.  It's time to refill the well.

As that special time grows closer, I've been thinking more about it lately, and I realize that there are other things to enjoy, in addition to reading.  So here's a list I've come up with to try, just for me.

10 Things to Do to Refill the Well

• Find a quiet spot to think or just "be"
• Spend time with friends, both writing and non-writing, especially ones I don't see often
• Sleep or take a nap without interruption
• Go outside and watch the clouds drift by
• Find a place away from the street lights--away from the city--to once again enjoy the beauty of the night sky
• Take a leisurely walk in the park, not for exercise or any reason other than the sheer joy of it
• Go to the park and swing
• Sit by the water and listen to the sounds it makes
• Find a new and unusual shop and explore
• Watch favorite movies for a full day

That's my list. What's yours?

The ultimate in refilling my well:

Well it's not far back to sanity, at least it's not for me
And if the wind is right you can sail away and find serenity
Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see.
Believe me. ~ Christopher Cross, "Sailing" Lyrics

Swimming Through Mud

That's a picture of a painting of Robert Burns, the poet, on the left.  For anyone not familiar with him, think Auld Lang Syne.  He wrote the lyrics to that melancholy ditty we sing to say goodbye to the old year, as we welcome in the new.  He also wrote the poem To a Mouse.  It contains the (paraphrased) lines, The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry... (The original lines are below)


What do Robert Burns and swimming through mud have in common?  My weekend plans were to get the final scenes of a chapter finished, then move on to write a synopsis for a proposal to a new-to-me publishing line.  Instead, I spent Friday night and most of Saturday being sick, then most of Sunday glued to the keyboard finishing those scenes.  (11 pages worth)  By yesterday (Monday) my brain couldn't string three words together that made sense.  I did manage to write a page later last night, but it was like swimming through mud:  Difficult to move those arms and legs, and impossible to see where one is going.

Quite often, life doesn't go as planned, and the writing part of life is no different.  When that happens, we adjust and move forward.  Instead of beating myself up over writing only one crummy page, I decided to look at it as one page written, with more to follow.  I have no doubt that I'll do a lot of mud swimming in the future.  We all do, whether we're just stepping into the writing process or we've been at it for a while.  That's the writing ladder, with lots and lots of rungs.

It isn't easy, this writing life.  From the outside, it appears to be something many of us think will be easy.  This was brought home to me once again while reading Kristen Lamb's Blog this morning, because I missed reading it yesterday.  If you're a writer or even thinking about writing, but not following this blog, give it a read.  No matter where you are on that writing ladder, you can learn something or, if nothing else, be reminded of things.  Her blog yesterday, The Five Mistakes Killing Self-Published Authors is a must-read, especially for those who've convinced themselves that writing a book and slapping it up on Amazon will make them an instant success.  For the rest of us it's a timely reminder of just how hard a writer must work to experience any degree of success.  It isn't easy.  Nothing good ever is.

Thanks to Kristen for sharing the video below.  I'm borrowing it. :)  It made me think.  It made me sigh.  It made me laugh.  I do love those little bears!

Don't miss Kristen's previous blog posts!  Keep current on what's going on in the writing and publishing world.

But Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy! ~ Robert Burns

Motivation Shmotivation

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

It isn't easy to stay motivated 24/7/365.  Sometimes even a well-placed swift kick won't do the trick.  I was all geared up to blog about how I've been motivated to get some much needed exercise.  The weather had warmed up, and I like to walk.  I just don't like to walk when it's raining or cold or very hot.  I'm obviously not a dedicated walker.  Then my youngest daughter suggested that we get a couple of bicycles, so just over a week ago, we did just that.  After all, more calories are burned riding a bicycle than walking.  What more could I ask for?

My oldest daughter decided biking was the perfect addition to her exercise routine and got herself a new bike, so the three of us, plus youngest granddaughter did some riding this weekend.  Then yesterday that same granddaughter called to ask if I was interested in riding again.  I gave in.  All in all, over the past eight days, I've ridden just over twelve miles.  The secret?  Motivation.  Mine and others.  Did I mention that I don't care to remember how many years have gone by since I've last ridden a bike?  Yeah.  My body is still adjusting.  Oh, is it adjusting!

As long as one of us is motivated to ride, I'm sure we'll continue.  It's too hard to say no.  In fact, yesterday I should have said no, because I was smack in the middle of the WIP, with a deadline that is looming closer and closer, while I'm not making my page count the way I should.

Let's face it.  It isn't easy to stay motivated all the time for one thing, much less three or four or more.  Sadly, that deadline is not motivating me to write, and the bike riding is beginning to become an excuse to keep me away from writing.  Add two young grandkids here during weekdays, and writing time is often impossible to find.  I'm still behind on my writing schedule, in spite of all my good intentions of getting caught up and back on track.

Houston, we have a problem.  There aren't enough hours in the day to do everything and sleep, so something needs to be done...SOON!

Penny Rader, a longtime friend, passed a link along on Twitter, so of course I had to check it out.  The source blog---Left-Brained Business for Write-Brained People---also looks amazing and merits repeat visits, but it was the blog title that caught my attention. Why Don't You Have Time to Write?  Check it out.  It's definitely worth sharing, saving, printing, and re-reading.  A great reminder to all of us and especially me!

He who hesitates is lost. ~ Proverb

Needed: A Break From Spring Break

Although today is officially the first day of Spring Break, it already seems as if it's gone on forever.  That could be because Thursday and Friday last week were "teacher workdays" and other excuses to give kids a day--make that two days--off.

Back in in the Stone Age when I was growing up and going to school, there was no such thing as Spring Break.  We were lucky if we got Good Friday off from school.  There was nothing even slightly similar to teacher workdays, and especially not two of them every month.  No President's Day, MLK Birthday, or much of anything except the biggies.  You know, Labor day (if school started before that), Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's.  And summer, of course.

So why am I complaining?  Why am I crabby?  "Crabby" being the youngest grandson's new term for my mood.  Today there are four children in my small home.  They range in age from two years old to nine years old.  Two girls, two boys.  And we're short the fifth today, because the oldest granddaughter had a dental appointment and is with her mom.  They are all very active, always moving or at least talking.  Constant talking, whether anyone is listening or not.  Isn't it amazing that we can't wait to hear our children's first word, when a few years later we wonder if they'll ever stop talking? ☺

I've tried, but writing is impossible, so I'm a little over a week/chapter behind on my writing schedule.  It isn't going to get much better this week, although my goal is to at least not get any farther behind.  I know there are writing mothers out there who have to deal with this all the time, and they manage beautifully.  But they're young and able to bounce back after five hours of sleep...or less.  I'm at the age where a nap is needed during the day, even after a reasonable amount of sleep the night before.  (Memories of my parents snoozing in their recliners each evening or weekend afternoons comes to mind.)

Too, motivation is apparently on vacation.  Even if it wasn't, it's hard to get deeply into a character's POV, when a two-year-old is shrieking at the top of her sweet little lungs, because big brother--no matter which one--has decided to play with the toy she'd considered playing with thirty minutes ago.  No, I'm not kidding.  I think I've lost part of the hearing in my left ear.

So bear with me through my journey through Spring Break this week.  One way or another, I'm determined to make it and get back on schedule as soon as possible...which will probably be about the time school lets out for the summer.

The major problem of life is learning how to handle the costly interruptions. The door that slams shut, the plan that got sidetracked, the marriage that failed. Or that lovely poem that didn’t get written because someone knocked on the door. ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

The Gathering - Motivation Mondays

I finally have the motivation I've been needing.

My weekend was spent getting caught up on as many pending things as possible.  Those things included attending my writers' group meeting, trying to sketch a possible work schedule that would allow me to meet some unofficial (for now) writing deadlines, along with the usual website design projects, blogging, social media-ing, family, eating, and, most importantly, sleeping.  I'm still working on tying up some loose ends today.

Okay, I haven't quite made it to the loose ends yet, but I'm working on it.  I'd hoped to have everything lined out by the time I went to bed last night.  Sadly, I didn't and I'm behind.  In fact, blogging time on my schedule is to be done much earlier in the day--like before lunch.  Can you tell that I have a bad habit of over-scheduling myself?

I'm a master at making schedules (and lists!  Lots of lists!) and deciding when and how long I should spend on projects.  Sometimes it works great!  Sometimes it fails miserably.  The first step is gathering everything I need to reate the schedule that will--or won't--get me through whatever needs to get done.  Below is a short and incomplete list of some of the things I need when I begin a new writing project.

1. Calendar - If only an everyday, run-of-the-mill calendar would work, I'd use one.  Instead, I create my own calendar with MS Word's calendar template.  That way I can keep a permanent version on my computer and have a printed version, too.  To begin it, I break the big goal down into monthly, weekly, and daily goals. (Remember those blogs on setting goals?  That's where this comes in.)  I try to build in a little extra time so I won't be in a crunch when deadline nears.  The calendar keeps me on target so I don't have to wonder how far I've gone and how far I have yet to go.  I'm visual, so seeing my progress on paper (or computer screen) is my daily motivation.
2. Three-ring Binder - Everything I need about the story I'm writing goes into the binder.  Everything.  From photos of the hero and heroine slipped into the front of the clear cover, to a list of the characters, a printed copy of the storyboard, and age charts.  There's even a calendar for each book so I can keep my timelines straight.  Portability makes it easy to go from room to room, and I can also take it along wherever I go.
3. Red Ink Pens - Not any pen with red ink will do.  Only Pilot Precise V5 Rolling Ball with Extra Fine tip is acceptable.  In a pinch, I've used others.  But I always come back to my favorite.  Red ink makes edits easier to see, and the tiny tip keeps corrections from becoming a muddy blur.  I try to keep several backups on hand.  If Pilot stops making them, I'll be lost.
4. Forms - Yes, that's what I said. Some of the forms go into the three-ring binder, some reside only in the folder I create on the computer for each book.  I made it easier by creating a blank template for each, so they're ready to go when needed.
5. Playlist - Sometimes there are specific songs that evoke images of a character or a scene, or even an overall feeling of what the book is about.  Other times any "slow dance music" works fine.  For me, a playlist is often created as I'm writing, instead of before I begin.

Each writer eventually learns what works best.  But even so, we still manage to tweak and poke and start anew, hoping to discover something that might make things go easier.  It's a real gathering of ideas, material, and goals that change as we grow as writers.

I'm hoping the get-ready-to-write gathering I've done these last three days will make tomorrow's goal of writing a little easier.  What do you do to get ready when starting a new writing project?  What motivates you to gather those things?

It is only in the world of objects that we have time and space and selves. - T. S. Eliot

The Changing Face of Publishing and How We Read

Only someone who's been living in a cave for the past few years would be unaware of how the way we read has been changing.  But the changes we're experiencing haven't just happened in a short time.  While e-books and e-publishing are still considered new, the electronic book has actually been around for just over 40 years.   Can't be true, you say?  Au contraire.  The U.S. Declaration of Independence became the first ebook in the world when Michael Hart (March 8, 1947 – September 6, 2011) launched Project Gutenberg in 1971. And what a grand project it is!

I can't remember a time when I didn't have books.  I've always been a reader.  As an only child, books kept me company when there was no one else around to play with.  Books have always been and always will be my friends.  Proof of that lies in the multitude of boxes filled with the overflow of books from the bookcases and bookracks that grace every room of my house...except the bathroom.  I love books.  It's that simple.

As I've blogged about before, I wasn't only hesitant but rigidly convinced I would never, ever, ever want to read a book on some plastic thing that resembled a small, thin Etch A Sketch.  I love books too much to ever want to replace them with a "toy."  And then friends started talking about how much they enjoyed their Kindles and Nooks and Kobos and all the other types of e-readers available.  Even one of my daughters was reading books on her phone!  (And this the daughter who never finished a book until high school, when she read Sharon Sala's Jackson Rule.)  So I looked around, I researched, I read hundreds of comments by owners and users, and I decided that buying an e-reader might not be such a bad idea after all.  My question now?  Why did I wait so long?

Harris Poll reported in September 2011 that One in Six Americans Now Use E-Reader with One in Six Likely to Purchase in Next Six Months.  That's a lot of e-readers, folks.  And that's only figuring per person.  My youngest has enjoyed reading on my Kindle, and in our extended family, both granddaughters have used mine and their mothers' Kindles to read.  CNN reported last month that the ownership of tablets and e-readers almost doubled in the month of December 2011.  Almost doubled.

But it isn't just reading books on e-readers that's changed.  It's how books are being published.  In addition to large, mostly New York-based, traditional publishers--the Big Six and others such as Harlequin--there are smaller publishers, offering books in print, POD (Print On Demand), and electronic, that have taken root and are giving the big guys some competition.  Add to these the newest opportunity of being your own independent (indie) publisher, and getting your stories out to readers has become easier and easier--whether you've never been published before or you have several books that are traditionally published.

Writers today have both a world of opportunity at their fingertips and a multitude of decisions to make to put those opportunities to work for them.  And work it has become, as many writers are finding out.  Not only is a writing career about writing, it's also about marketing and selling and promotion and many things some never did in the past and weren't prepared to do in the present.

The way we read, thanks to electronic books and the availability of all books is changing faster than many of us can keep up with.  And if you're a writer, it becomes even more complicated.  Publishers, too, are trying to stay on course and discovering that what worked before now must be changed, then tweaked, then changed again.  As a writer, it pays to keep an eye on the changes, to study not only what people are buying, but how they are buying, and then to fit your writing into this new world.  Not always the easiest of tasks, but definitely not a challenge that can or should be ignored.

Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are. - Bernice Johnson Reagon

How Busy Was It?

After getting the upper hand on a cold that had me wanting to crawl back into bed early last week, somehow I managed to actually finish the week with some accomplishments.  Lucky for me, the momentum followed me into today.

It started on Wednesday evening, when I joined the other three members of our critque group for the first time since before the holiday hustle and bustle hit hard in December.  I couldn't have felt better when I left that evening.  My contribution of a reading of the first two scenes from my current WIP was very well received.  To put it simply, they liked it!  There's no way to describe how much that helped my id.  By Thursday, I was raring to start addressing the few changes they suggested and get on with the writing---and revising---process.  (Thank you Pat, Theresa, and Deborah!  You three are the greatest!)

Sometimes all it takes is a few positive comments from others to chase away that feeling that you're swimming through mud.  Creative beings tend to be their own worst critics...and enemies.  We're so tuned into looking for what needs to be changed and improved that we sometimes forget to look for what's good.  Kathie D and I call it Forest for the Trees Syndrome.  Yes, you guessed it.  We get so close to our work, picking and trimming and changing, that we lose the ability to see the whole picture---or in a writer's case, the whole story.  Sure, the leaves on a tree are especially beautiful in the autumn, but it's the whole tree of leaves that takes our breath away.

Yesterday I finally finished rewriting the last of the three chapters that I soon plan to send to my editor.  Well, once the synopsis is revised to fit those new scenes that cried out to be written.  I'd planned to do a final read-through and polish today, but I worked on a updates for several websites, instead.  That's probably a good thing.  It gives it a chance to cool and me a chance to step away, if only for a little while.  My eyes (and brain!) will be a little fresher for it.

Yes, it's been a busy week, but it's been a week that I can look back on and say I accomplished a lot.  And that doesn't happen all that often.

"It is not time that we need to manage, but our attitude towards it - we all have the same amount, it is just how we use it that differs. Keep busy and keep getting results."

-- Anton Guinea

Happy 2012!

Yes, I'm late.  Not the best way to start the new year.  But sometimes we don't have control over what happens or at least we can use some of those happenings we do have control over to procrastinate.

As June Carter Cash sang in the song Time's A Wastin', ♪ ♫ "A cake's no good if you don't mix the batter and bake it." ♫ ♪

While I'm not much for making New Year's Resolutions that are quickly broken, I do sometimes make goals for the year.  This year I didn't.  My goals haven't really changed, but I am looking at them in a different way.  I know what it takes to reach them.  The problem comes when it's time to take that action.  Sometimes there are things that come along to keep us from working on our goals.  That's what happened to me this past week.

Early on Friday morning, two guys arrived to put the new siding on my house.  Not long ago, we had a new roof put on, so I knew it wouldn't be a normal time while they were working.  What I didn't realize was how long it would take or how intrusive it would be.  I tried writing on Friday, because my goal had been to finish the proposals I was working on and send them to my agent.  But the pounding and hammering on the walls (especially thin ones with no insulation) was a whole lot louder than I'd expected.  Concentration--at least the kind needed for writing--was almost nil.  They were there until after dark.  The same thing happened on Saturday.  Very little writing and revising got done, and because it was New Year's Eve, we had plans to go to my oldest daughter's for the evening.  We were a tad late, but well before the magic hour of midnight.  With the thought in mind that the next day was not only a Sunday, but a holiday, as well, we planned to sleep in late, after staying up into the wee hours of the morning.

We were WRONG.  At 8:15 in the morning on Sunday, I was awakened by what sounded like a sledgehammer on the wall next to my bed.  They're baaaaack!  I was not a happy camper, but there was very little I could do about it.  I managed a few paragraphs.  Yesterday (Monday) the siding was finally in place, and the workers left in mid-afternoon.  Hooray!

The result of the past few days is a super looking house...and the fact that I'm four days behind.  I no longer have time to play and must make up for lost time.  Somehow.

Is being behind schedule only three days into the new year a bad omen?  I hope not!  I'm determined to make this the best year yet, no matter what comes along to try to mess up my plans.

For me, 2012 starts today!

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.

- Oprah Winfrey 

Creating Good Writing Habits

It would be hard not to notice that Christmas is fast approaching.  Weren't we just Trick-or-Treating on Halloween?  The next thing you know, not only will Christmas be over, but New Year's will be almost gone.

If you're a traditional New Year's-ist, this would be a perfect time to start thinking about those Resolutions.  After all, even if the rumors of 2012 being the end of life as we know are true and aren't simply a marketing thing, there's a lot of time to live between January 1 and December.  Why not get a head start now, instead of waiting until the last minute of 2011 to decide on what to improve?

Right now, instead of focusing on those every-year self-improvement resolutions (weight loss, exercise, and the rest), I want to focus on writing resolutions.  Why?  Because I'm in desperate need of creating some new habits and sticking to them, and if I start now, I can make some headway.

The #1 writing habit I need to make and stick to is writing every day.  While it's true that I do some kind of writing each day, whether it's emails, blogs, or the real stuff of putting stories to paper, it's the latter that I need to focus on the most.  It simply isn't something I've managed to make a priority.  This isn't something new.  I've been grappling with this for several years, so it's become something I'd really like to conquer.

So here's my Resolution/Goal for 2012:  I will write every day, Monday thru Friday.  At least a page.  Three pages would be even better.  More than that would be a miracle on an everyday basis.  If possible and life allows, I'll write on the weekends, too.

Anyone with me on this?  Are you like me and have trouble carving out time to do what really should be done when it comes to writing?  Then take your pick of whatever writing habit you need to create, and let's start it today.  I'll check back in next Monday to post if I've had any progress, and so can anyone who's joining me.

"The way to write is to throw your body at the mark when your arrows are spent."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Just Another Manic Monday

It wasn't my intention to let a week go by without sharing even a quick hello, but life sometimes gets in the way of the best intentions.

Let's face it, it was a busy week, and it didn't let up over the weekend.  Now that Monday is here again, the feeling of a hamster on a wheel is beginning to set in.  Yes, definitely a little on the manic side already.

That doesn't mean there weren't enjoyable moments to the mania.  Saturday evenings are often spent at my oldest daughter's.  This time of year it's the watching of favorite football teams, followed by Saturday Night Live.  I've been watching SNL since the very beginning and have to say that, overall and so far this season, it's had more good than bad.

Yesterday was my local writers' group meeting, which is always fun and informative.  It's sometimes my only in-person touch with others besides family...except for those occasional visits to the store for groceries or needed items.  I always enjoy spending time with the ladies at WARA.  You can visit the WARA blog, Bits & Bytes: Romance the Writers Way to see why.

But it's Monday again, so back to work.  This week I hope to devote a large block of time to sorting through my office.  I might even have time to move the furniture to make sure to take advantage of warmer spots during winter.  That all remains to be seen, if I don't finish this up and get busy. ☺

So here's the YouTube of the inspiration for today's blog title.  Although I was married with kids when the Bangles were in their prime, I still enjoyed their music.  Hope you do, too!

If you have other things in your life -- family, friends, good productive day work -- these can interact with your writing and the sum will be all the richer.

- David Brin

Another Rainy Monday

While it really isn't raining cats and dogs, I couldn't resist the clipart image on the left.  It made me laugh, and because Monday's aren't generally all that funny, it was too tempting to pass up.  I hope it at least brings a smile to anyone who sees it.

To all those who are NaNo-ing this month, here's hoping you've found the writing groove and getting words on paper more easily.  I chose not to participate, after all, but I'm cheering for those who are.  When there's been time to do some reading and editing, I discovered that the 1675 words I wrote on Nov. 1 weren't half as bad as I'd expected they might be.  This WIP is not a romance, but a YA with paranormal elements.  I started this as a panster with no idea of plot and only a couple of characters.  I have no idea what's going to happen and I'm almost enjoying that.  There's also no date that it needs to be done, so I get to write at my own pace...if I ever figure out what the pace is for this one.

Writing constantly toward publication or under contract can, after long periods of time, become a little tedious or chip away a tiny bit at creativity.  Taking a short break when possible promotes a clearer mind.  Some people are lucky enough to get away physically, others fill their break with reading--often out of their usual genre.  For others creating something different, whether in the same medium (as in writing) or something else (as in drawing) can be refreshing.

Long ago when I wrote for Silhouette Romance, I found I had big chunks of empty time that needed filled.  I like to create, but I can't draw to save my soul, and at some point I became interested in website design and later in graphic design.  While it's still creative, it must use a different part of my brain, because I often find that when I've been working on websites for a while, unable to get to putting words on paper, that's when I yearn to write or have some of the best ideas.

So if you're having a rainy day...or even if you aren't...try doing something different for just one day.  If it works, use it again whenever something else begins to feel stale.  Writing something in a completely different genre you've never tried make open new doors in more ways than one.

Books want to be born: I never make them.  They come to me and insist on being written, and on being such and such.  ~Samuel Butler

To Nano Or Not To Nano

It's that time of year when, if you know any writers, you're sure to have heard the word NaNoWriMo.  Yeah, whatever that means, right?  But even those of us who've never participated in the national event--yes, national--are familiar with it and know that it stands for National Novel Writing Month.  And November is just around the corner.

Before the question comes up, yes, it's possible to write a novel in a month.  WRITE a novel in a month, not have a finished, clean, and ready manuscript for an agent, editor, or even print. That isn't the goal of NaNoWriMo.  But the 50,000 words that are the goal certainly can lead to the chance of having that novel ready to submit.

NaNoWriMo began in July 1999, the dream child of Chris Baty, with 21 participants.  The following year, the project was moved to November to take advantage of weather that begged for more indoor activity than outdoor.  NaNoWriMo took root and grew.  And grew!  By last year (2010), 200,000 participants wrote 2,872,682,109 words.  That's right, almost 3 billion words!

But I haven't yet made the leap to saying, yes, I'm ready to sign on the dotted line and pledge myself to 30 days of intense writing.  (That's 1666.6666 words or approximately 7 pages per day and very doable.)  I have other irons in the fire that would have to be put aside for later, and I'm not sure if I should do that.  On the other hand, it would be very nice to have something written and ready to edit, weeks before Christmas craziness sets in.  I even have a choice of what I'd like to work on.  I have several plotted but not written stories that are begging for attention.  And there's that YA (possibly a paranormal?) that my brain was plotting as I finished a nap today.  That's definitely a sign that it's ready for my attention.  But if I choose it, I only have 5 days to plot it, and I'm not sure my brain is up to it, after having just finished plotting another book this past week.

A final decision will be made on Monday.  If I choose to sign up, I may be the last one to do it!  If I choose not to, there's always next year. :)  Stay tuned!

Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness.  One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.  ~George Orwell, "Why I Write," 1947