Spread a Little Joy
It has always amazed me how there are people in the world who bring joy into every facet of their lives. They encourage people and care for others and always have a helping hand. In the writing world it’s no different. There are people there who are happy to help other authors whether it be with advice or encouragement. I have had many such people in my writing life who have been there when I’ve wanted to give up and have pushed me to try harder and keep going. I try to be one of these people. I’m not always the best, but I am not a life sucker.
Life suckers are the opposite of joy bringers. They are the people who, for some reason, can find the rain in any rainbow. Instead of encouraging people to get back on the horse and try again after a rejection, they say things like, “It’s impossible to get signed by X/Y/Z unless you know some.” or “That publisher/agent only takes big names.” or things to that effect. Instead of making you feel better, it makes you feel like you are fighting a losing battle so why bother.
Don’t be a life sucker.
Even if you are not naturally a joy bringer, you can hold back negativity. I’ve always found when I do the kind thing, I almost always feel better. Sometimes I feel like a chump, but most of the time I don’t. I’ll take those odds. When I was in my 20’s a woman I worked for said, “When I’m not sure what to do, I always try to do the kindest thing.” That has stuck with me. Again, I might not always do it, but I try.
Just for today, try to do the kindest thing.
Sooo Close
I’ve hit the 50K word mark in my current work in progress. I’m pretty proud of myself! My plan was for this book to be 60-65K, and I was hoping to finish it by the end of this week, That might be a bit of a stretch, but it’s a goal.
Since I’ve started this blog, I’ve had not a single comment on it that wasn’t spam. Apparently no one reads blogs anymore. In all honesty, it’s been a good tool for me to hold me accountable without driving the rest of my friends insane with daily word count texts.
The single biggest part of writing success is actually sitting down and freaking writing. You can’t edit a blank page, and you can’t tell a story without actually sitting there and pouring your heart out. I have no idea if self-publishing this series is going to work or bomb, but I’m writing, which I love, and I’m learning a lot.
There aren’t many better ways to spend a summer vacation.
Navigating New Waters
No, I’m not still at the beach. The waters I’m navigating are the *gulp* self-publishing ones. They’re deep and a bit uncharted for me. I have many friends who have successfully self-published. They have had similar experiences to me in that they’ve previously been traditionally published, but for various reasons have made the switch.
The business side of writing is my least favorite. I cannot live without writing. It keeps me sane, even if I have to go long periods without writing, I’m always thinking about it. I don’t mind revising the story, it’s a needed part of the process, even if every critique feels like an attack.
I’m TERRIBLE at cover design. I have absolutely no artistic talent whatsoever and have no idea what is marketable or not. I am absolutely dreadful at marketing. I hate it so much. SO MUCH. I have no idea where to buy ads, and I despise putting my book out there and trying to get people interested in it.
There are so many services out there to help self-published authors, but they all need to get paid, and besides not having much spare cash (read, none) I’m also nervous about getting scammed. If I drop $2000 to get my book edited, have cover art, and have someone market it, will I make that money back? Who knows? As much as I’d love to make millions writing, I’m honestly just hoping to break even at this point.
Like I said, deep and troubling waters…
Digging the RV Life
So far on this RV journey, my writing hasn’t exactly gone as planned, but I’m relaxing and “refilling the well”. I’ve always said that at the beginning of the school year, I’m full of plans and hopes for my students and great ideas, a plump and juicy grape of a teacher. By June, I’m a raisin, all of my creativity has been sucked out of me. Summer break is needed to refill my creativity.
Sometimes I forget that when I’m writing I can raisin out too. While I’m teaching, I’m not writing, but I’m thinking about it. When I finally get the chance to sit down and write, it pours out of me and I hate wasting my very precious writing time on other things.
Taking some of that time to have fun, go to the beach, relax and listen to music is important. I’m not that great at striking a balance, but I’m getting there. I sat at the beach the other day and listened to the waves (and the conversations going on around me) and the ideas just flowed. It’s amazing what can happen if you unplug a little and connect with nature.
Granted, I’m in an air conditioned RV with a shower and a toilet and WIFI, so I’m not exactly roughing it, but I am in the woods and waking up to birdsong. It helps.
Trying something new
Happy Monday
I’m trying something a little different today–I’m working outdoors. I am currently “glamping” with my husband, and he is working in the RV, so I went to the picnic table. We will see how it goes, I tend to get easily distracted. When my kids were little, our first house had a pool. I would sit with at a table out by the pool and write while my kids played for hours. Somehow, I managed to get things done and not let anyone drown. Again, I marvel at my younger self, because my current self absolutely couldn’t do that.
I’m hoping to get some writing in while still enjoying this vacation. My plan is to write in the morning, then hit the beach in the afternoon. We’ll see what happens…
The Importance of Friends Like You
When I first started writing in the early 2000’s, I discovered the Harlequin Publishing message boards. On there I learned so much about how to format and write, but more importantly, I met a whole community of people who thought like I do. I discovered the world of writing conferences where I met people who have become life long friends.
Last night I was on the phone with a fellow author who has become one of my best friends. We met because we were sitting next to each other at a Romantic Times Conference book signing and since we were newbie e-book writers, we were WAAAAYYYY in the back and didn’t see much traffic. We started talking then and haven’t stopped since.
I cannot emphasize enough how important my writing friends are to my sanity. In so many ways, writing is a solitary endeavor. Having a person who totally gets it when you say things like, “So if you’re in another galaxy, do you still have to use condoms? Like wouldn’t they have come up with something better if they could master space travel?” is absolutely the most amazing gift anyone can have. Also, having someone read your work and give their honest opinions without worrying about offending you is necessary to grow. I may not always like what the feedback is, but I know they’re giving it to me not to drag me down, but because they believe in my story and my writing and want it to be the best it can be.
I would have given up writing if it wasn’t for my friends who believed in me, even when I hadn’t written anything for over five years.
If you have one of these writing friends, send them a thank you today…and maybe some chocolate.
Have a great weekend!
Officially More Than Half Done!
It is July 10 and I am officially more than half way done with the first draft of Rogue Memory!
I would like to not only finish this book, but actually be able to edit it and maybe even send it off to my critique partners this summer. That would be incredibly satisfying. It would also be satisfying to start book 3, do some research on some other ideas bouncing around in my head, and, well, I still want to lose those 20 pounds.
Regardless, today I’m going to enjoy the win and try to get some more words down on the page. I know consistency is the key. I wish I could figure out a way to keep going during the school year. I always say I’ll get up an hour earlier and write, but that never works out. I say I’ll try to write after work, but that definitely doesn’t work. I’m sure there’s a way if I try hard enough…which is the problem, I really don’t have the energy to try that hard during the school year.
Ack! *Begone with you defeating thoughts* I’m going to revel in my progress today and not think about what I won’t be doing come Fall.
The Series Dilemma
I am sooo not a fan of the cliff hanger. When I am immersed in a world, I want to stay there. I hate waiting for the next book to be written, especially if the one I’m reading ends on a cliff hanger. I tend to wait for the series to be complete before I start reading it to avoid the issue of waiting for the next book to come out a year later.
I started this practice after reading the first 5 books of the Wheel of Time series. To say I was annoyed when I finished book 5 and everything was still up in the air would be putting it mildly. I continued reading the series for a few more books, but it is so complex that I would forget huge plot points and characters in the year or more between books.
I just figured out that the series I’m reading (Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen) is not a trilogy, like I had thought and I will have to wait another month for the conclusion. I’m really enjoying the series, but I’ve stopped reading my current book because I’m 80% done and I don’t want to finish it before the next one is out.
Yes, I realize I’m not being logical, but I can’t seem to help myself.
I’ve also started thinking about a new book to write, but am forcing myself to focus on the series I started TWO YEARS AGO and am only on book 2. The new and shiny is always a temptation for me. I MUST RESIST. This book is going along really well though, and the next book is germinating in the back of my mind as I write this one, which is great.
Are there any series that you are waiting for the next book with bated breath?
Everyone Needs a Vice
Good morning and Happy Tuesday!
One of my favorite moments of the day is when I crack open my morning Diet Coke and take that first, fuzzy sip. I am not a coffee drinker, so DC is how I get my caffeine, and yes, I know it’s an addiction. My dad, God rest his soul, used to joke that everyone needed a vice. I tend to agree with him. I have more than one, but I’m something of an over-achiever…
When I first began writing, I made the rookie error of making my characters perfect. Luckily, no one ever saw those first efforts. I’ve never taken a writing course. I was part of a writing group, but shortly after I joined, my youngest got cancer and I had to quit, well, pretty much everything in my life, to focus on her. (She’s 23 now and very healthy.) I have gone to writing workshops, and I’ve listened to many successful authors, have had excellent editors, and great critique partners, but I’ve never done a course on how to write romance. I do have a degree in English, but it was focused on teaching English, not writing.
Everything I’ve learned throughout this 20+ year journey in writing has been on-the-job. I write, I make enormous mistakes, I re-write, I throw away never to be seen again stories, I start and don’t finish stories, and I listen to what other people have to say. That is probably the hardest lesson I’ve learned; how to accept criticism without getting defensive.
Actually, I ALWAYS get defensive, but I don’t react on it. That is where the real learning takes place. When an editor or critique partner makes a comment on something, I give myself one minute to feel defensive, then I think about it. Does the comment make sense? Will it make the story stronger? Does it show another side to the character that I didn’t expect? I don’t always agree, but I always, always think about the criticism.
In the end, I’m not writing the books so I can read them, I’m writing so other people can read the story I’ve downloaded from my overactive brain onto the page. If someone else is reading the story and it doesn’t make sense to them, then I need to fix it. Arguing over every nit and pick defeats the purpose of having a critique partner in the first place.
Which brings me back to vices. Characters should not be perfect, because there is no such thing as a perfect person. Since there is no such thing as a perfect person, we should allow ourselves to make mistakes and learn from them. Sometimes you have to lean into your vices.
With that said, I think I’ll get another Diet Coke and keep moving on Rogue 2
I’m baaaaaack!
I’ve just spent a week in San Antonio and it was fabulous! I was there for a teaching conference, and I learned so much, my brain is full. The city of San Antonio was amazing, we had great food, listened to good music, had many wonderful beverages, and the people, without exception, were friendly and just incredibly nice. I mean EVERYONE we ran into, from the hotel and conference staff to the store clerks, restaurant and bar staff to the cops on the street were beyond helpful and kind. Even the homeless people were non-aggressive. It was very different from just about every other city I’ve been to, and I’m not just saying that because I’m from the Northeast. It’s kind of a given that we’re a bit…let’s go with standoffish, but I’ve been to many other cities in the South, Central, and West Coast, even other cities in Texas, and this was noticeable the nicest city people-wise. I really liked it.
In other news, I have almost completed my trim-painting project, so I can check that summer goal off the list, probably today. We’re not going to discuss the weight loss goal…The food in San Antonio was REALLY good…
Now, I need to get back to writing. My goal for this week is to get to 30K, which is absolutely doable, even though I have a million errands to run after being away for a week. None of which are going to get done if I don’t get off my butt and get writing.
Have a fabulous day!